Crazy Mirror
by AdmyralOperius
Summary: Some people have a desire to fix everything, like Frisk; determined to save everyone. Absolutely everyone. It started as a thought, then became a fire, burning in the chest. Do you know it? Maybe you've felt it before? (Minor AU elements)
1. Magic Bullet Number Fifteen

Magic Bullet Number Fifteen

His back was on fire. The nerves were frayed, torn, broken and it hurt. God, it hurt. Frisk opened one eye, slowly, then the other, and finally sat up. He gritted his teeth as magma rolled down his back and his spine begged him not to do any more moving for the next _week, please, for the love of God…_

Frisk only forced himself to stand, ignoring the burning sensation in his back. It might've hurt, but it would pass. It always did, eventually. He rolled his neck and felt a couple of his vertebrae slide back into place, or at least as close to back into place as they'd get for the foreseeable future. Then, something he realized he hadn't done in what felt like ages, he glanced down at the flowerbed under his shoes. The earth here was raised, but only slightly. He stayed there for another minute as a thought crossed his mind, a thought he didn't think he'd ever bring back up for a long, _long_ time. "This is it. This is gonna be the magic bullet," he muttered to himself.

He looked up in surprise at his own words. He'd _never_ found the courage to talk this early, and couldn't help but smile at himself for it. _See? Things are already changing,_ he thought. Frisk quickly refocused, as no matter how long he stayed here, nobody ever came this far out to look for him, which he understood. This one crumbling room held more than a few bad memories for him now, too. So, he breathed in to steady himself, kept trying to ignore the pain in his back, and marched into the next room.

Frisk didn't bother looking at the walls; he'd studied them all before, and besides, the walls weren't important. What _was_ important…

"Howdy!"

...Was that he'd have company very soon.

"I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" Flowey chirped. Frisk looked down at Flowey's bright, smiling face. "Say…" Flowey squinted up at Frisk for a moment before continuing, "That's a face I've never seen before! You're new here, aren'cha?"

Flowey winked cutely and Frisk felt his breath hitch. His breathing was getting shallow the more the seconds ticked on. Again. "So you wouldn't know how things work 'round here...Guess li'l old me will have to teach ya!"

The ground directly under Frisk's lowered head was getting a bit damper than normal. Flowey didn't seem to notice or care. "See, down here, you'll need LOVE to survive, and we can _share_ LOVE through little...white…" Flowey trailed off for another moment before lying "'Friendliness pellets!'" as expected.

The droplets of brine rolling down Frisk's face didn't care either. "You ready? Okay! Move around and get as many-" Flowey suddenly went silent; probably because Frisk's sobbing was a bit louder than normal now. He wiped his eyes clear and tried to concentrate, but he couldn't bring himself to raise his head and look Flowey in the eye.

He just _couldn't._

"Wait."

Flowey's flat tone at least made Frisk pay attention. It was a good indicator he was doing things different this time. "I just realized...I didn't get to explain how your SOUL works. What's happening here…?"

With no warning, Frisk barreled ahead and didn't bother looking up from the stained sleeve of his sweatshirt. He tried incredibly hard to take a wide berth around where Flowey was rooted, but couldn't risk getting caught in any vines that exploded out of the earth if Flowey reacted fast enough; never, in a thousand years, would he ever want to trample Flowey. Wittingly or otherwise.

Speaking of, he could hear Flowey yelling in confusion. "Hey, waitaminnit! Why, you little…! Get back here…!"

Frisk wanted to say "Don't worry, I'll come back!" or "I'm sorry, this is for your own good! Please don't be mad!" or "Everything's gonna be okay, Flowey!" but he couldn't. The sobs he was trying to choke back and force down wouldn't let him do much beyond breathe just to keep himself going.

" **Get back here so I can** _ **kill**_ **you…!"**

Frisk knew, deep down, Flowey didn't mean it. And even deeper down, he knew Flowey wouldn't hesitate to rip his soul out if given half the chance. And even deeper than that, he knew the former was still true...in one way or another. He ran forward and through the doors that led to the Ruins proper and didn't even stop to slam them closed to make sure Flowey couldn't intrude. But then again, Flowey could, realistically, intrude _anywhere,_ closing the doors just made following Frisk harder.

Before he even realized what was happening, Frisk looked up and around to find he had slumped against the wall opposite the archway. His head had been buried in his arms, his whole body curled up in a fetal position, and his sleeves were now fairly soggy. His eyes also burned and his nose was clogged with snot. He sniffled and braced himself against the back wall and stood up. "...Must've been crying harder than I thought."

He wiped his nose on his sleeve and glanced around again. No one else was here, but then again, he hadn't exactly wasted too much time in that antechamber; Toriel was still probably on her way over, and judging by his own relative calculations, he had about...two minutes. More than enough time. Frisk looked down to find a stick that had probably fallen in years ago and eventually found its way into this spot. It was part of an old maple tree on the mountain, planted and raised years before the Monsters were sealed underground. It once served as a home to hundreds of bugs and many more birds until, one night, a fierce storm rolled across the mountain, and the gale-force winds snapped the branch off and launched it into the hole.

...At least, that was his story and he was sticking with it. Frisk bent down to check his leg. The bandage was still there, and it's story was far less grandiose: he'd cut his knee on some brambles on the hike up the mountain and, young fool that he was, only brought one bandage, because, _"Real_ men don't need fucking band-aids." He sighed, remembering the days before he'd fallen down and had been able to swear up a storm. Toriel had caught onto him on run fifteen, when he was more comfortable talking to "strangers" again, and boy, had she beaten _that_ habit out of him in a hurry. He would've been more apprehensive if she wasn't an actual godsend.

Frisk sighed and let his shoulders sink, releasing all the tension in them. Even his back was starting to feel better, which was also a miracle in and of itself. And suddenly, the third article came back to his mind, and almost as if on cue, his right pocket felt significantly heavier. Frisk quickly jammed his hand in and quickly found what he wanted to feel: smooth and round. It almost felt like polished marble. _Yes. Everything according to plan._

It was then he heard a small, almost inaudible gasp from further off to his right, and he knew exactly what came next. Frisk turned his whole body around and took his hand out of his pocket to see Toriel at the far end of the corridor, covering her mouth with her hands. He couldn't help but beam to her and wave. "Hi there, miss," he said as if he'd never been crying in the first place. Seeing Toriel again wasn't the _best_ thing he was going to see this run–he _hoped_ –but boy, did it come close.

"Oh, my goodness!" Toriel cried as she came closer. "Child, are you well? You must have fallen through the Barrier, and yet..." She knelt down in front of him and reached out, slowly at first, before realizing that he wasn't going to run and placed her hand on his head, and then on his shoulder. "Oh, dear, you're hurt!" Frisk sighed, but kept his tired smile. Toriel was awfully good at figuring out when someone was injured; it was probably part of her secondary magical abilities. He'd seen it in action when he healed some of the kids on the playground during her time as a schoolteacher...for the few runs he had allowed himself to live on the surface for any amount of time, that is.

Suddenly, he felt some of the ache and stinging pain go away, and noticed Toriel's eyes and hands were glowing faintly with bright blue light. "There…" she said at length, "that should ease some of the pain while you heal properly." Frisk's smile came back in full force. Bless that woman! She always seemed to come through for even the tiniest of things. "Ah, but where are my manners?" Toriel stood back up, her hands clasped in front of her. "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I come here every day to check if any humans have fallen down." Her expression suddenly turned rather somber. It unnerved Frisk the first time it happened, and when she said, "You are the first one to have come here in a long time…" he wondered why she had been so melancholic. Her encouraging smile came right back as she said, "Come along, I will guide you through the catacombs." She extended her hand to Frisk.

And he wasted no time in bypassing her offering and hugged her as hard as his arms would allow. She gasped in surprise again, but Frisk knew already that it wasn't a sign to be afraid and pull away. It was because they were more alike than he had thought, a very long time ago; both of them had been alone. They were both incredibly sad inside. But not for much longer.

No, not much longer now.

"Ah, I…" Frisk was pulled out of his thoughts and he looked back up at Toriel's kindly countenance. Her eyes were glistening more than usual. "I didn't...You must be...You're quite the hugger," she stuttered. She quickly wiped her eyes and continued, as evenly as she could, "But that is all right! There is always time for hugs in my home."

"I'll admit, it was an acquired skill," Frisk laughed as he pulled away.

Toriel gazed down at him gently before clearing her throat and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Come along, then, my child."

"Frisk."

Toriel paused just as she was about to take the first step to the archway on the stairwell. "...What did you say?"

"I'm Frisk," he repeated. "It's nice to meet you, Toriel."

* * *

"As a human living in the Underground…"

Frisk gazed up at Toriel, and then glanced down to the dummy behind her. "...Monsters _may_ attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation."

Fundamentally, this statement was true. Monsters _would_ attack, but Frisk didn't understand until after several random encounters that they weren't so much initiating combat as they were stumbling into each other like total strangers in a pitch black room, looking for a light switch. Or, more often, _he_ was the one stumbling into the _Monsters._

"However, worry not!" Toriel continued. "The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT."

Frisk shook his head and grinned, but not so much that Toriel would see. FIGHTing just didn't come naturally to him any more. Even if it weren't for _him,_ Frisk's will to physically FIGHT had long been burnt out. He wanted to tell her he couldn't FIGHT in the conventional sense if he wanted to, but…

Well, no one likes reopening old wounds.

"...And while you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. I will come to resolve the conflict!" Toriel concluded. She walked over to the door on the left and said, "Try talking to the dummy I have set up."

Frisk jogged over to the dummy and smiled at it. The dummy did nothing. Before Toriel could interrupt, Frisk left the dummy behind and ran over to her, and hugged her once more. She gasped again, but held him close all the same.

"My, my. You are _full_ of surprises, Frisk."

"Thanks," Frisk said, "It's what I'm best at."

Toriel giggled and said, "Very well, then. Let's continue on, shall we?"

"'Kay."

They moved on, into the next room. Toriel explained the puzzle waiting on the east side of the room, and Frisk followed her obediently, right up until a Froggit showed up. He ran away from them as fast as he could; he always hated how uncomfortable the poor thing looked when Toriel glared them down, and once he learned there was no shame in running, he made sure to abuse it to hell and back. Of course, now that FIGHTing had no real effect on him, he didn't have to stick around if he didn't want to. Toriel was waiting, and led him through the maze of spikes by the hand. He remembered the very first time he went through it. He _despised_ her for holding his hand like some sort of child who needed babying every minute of the day. _I'm not a fucking baby,_ he'd thought, _It's not like I'm gonna cry if I don't get my bottle, lemme go, lady!_

He tried to struggle away back then, but her grip was far stronger than he'd ever expected; he wondered if she'd even noticed he was trying to break free. But that didn't matter anymore, because he'd warmed up to the idea long after the fact. Knowing that he couldn't escape helped speed his acceptance along, and said grudging acceptance gave way to actual contentedness. Up 'til now, he'd practically been taking her hand first when she'd offered to lead him through the maze.

And then there was the next room. Toriel walked out in front of him and turned back to say, "I would like you to walk to the end of this room by yourself." She paused and added solemnly, "Forgive me for this," before taking off to the other end of the corridor. The first time, it had almost looked like she'd disappeared into thin air, but the reality was she'd only jumped behind a pillar at the other end and Frisk's eyes couldn't focus that far away. He was freaked out the first time.

This time, he bounded to the end of the room as fast as he could until he reached the pillar, and slowed himself down before Toriel walked out from behind it. "Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you." Frisk sighed. Not relief...not relief in the way Toriel was probably interpreting it. Her dialogue had been the same, save for the obvious variations brought about by evading Flowey. But same was good. Same was _very_ good.

"I was merely behind this pillar this whole time!" She beamed as if she'd told the best joke in the world and everyone was laughing at it. Frisk couldn't help but smile, too. Bad jokes were right up her alley, and thanks to Sans, his, too. "Thank you for trusting me," she added seriously. "I wanted to test your independence."

"Were you afraid I was going to…" Frisk nodded his head over to the pillar. "Spontaneously _column-_ bust?"

Toriel hadn't expected that. She quickly covered her mouth with one hand, after her face had shifted from confusion, to shock, to joy, all within the span of half a second. Frisk could hear her trying to stifle her laughter. She wasn't doing a very good job, though, considering he could still hear it, loud and heavy.

"O-oh…" She was trying to wipe the tears from her eyes, trying to pass it off as something else. "Oh, my goodness…" She had to pause a second, and then she looked down at Frisk. She was beaming. "So full of surprises."

Frisk only grinned at her.

* * *

Frisk lightly poked a ghost who was pretending to sleep on the ground with the toe of his shoe. In response, he rose up.

Here comes Napstablook.

Frisk didn't have any time to waste. He immediately gave Napstablook a reassuring wave.

"...hm? Oh….hi," the ghost murmured. "i didn't see you there….."

Frisk smiled and replied, "It's okay. I heard you like coming here sometimes. I wanted to tell you a joke." Without skipping a beat, Frisk recited, "Why didn't the ghost go to prom?"

"...he didn't have any 'body' to go with….?"

Frisk giggled. "No, he didn't have a _ghoul-_ friend!"

Napstablook didn't say anything. He was quiet for so long that Frisk began to wonder if he even heard the punchline. Then, faintly, barely audible, he heard Napstablook utter a low, monotone "...heh."

Frisk only smiled again and gave him a thumbs-up, and he waited for Napstablook's response. It took a couple minutes before the ghost stared down at the ground in a pensive manner and then quietly spoke again. "...let me try….."

Napstablook began crying again, except the tears drifted upward in all defiance of sound logic and reason, and quickly formed into a very spiffy top hat. "i call it 'dapper blook.' do you like it…?"

"I think it looks great on you," Frisk said.

"...thanks." Napstablook looked around before continuing, "i like coming down to the Ruins. there's nobody around…..but today, i met someone nice….." Napstablook sunk to the ground and added, "oh no, i'm rambling again…" even though Frisk knew for a fact the ghost couldn't yammer on even if he tried. Certainly not like Mettaton. "...i'll get out of your way."

Napstablook faded from view and Frisk hurried onward to the next room. He almost immediately ran into two Froggits and a Migosp. Dealing with them was easy, of course; Frisk could probably do it in his sleep if he wanted to.

"Swing your arms, baby!"

Frisk only chuckled and let Migosp do their little happy dance while he moved on. He was about to jump into the next room before he remembered to check his pockets. Not only did he have seven Gold, but he still had his ace in the hole. It would never hurt to check; he couldn't be sure if Flowey knew he had it and wanted to pickpocket it from him with a stray vine. All the same, he ran back to the spider bake sale and left his Gold in the web on the left. A horde of spiders raced out, took the money, and left some homemade Spider Cider in its place, which Frisk gladly picked up.

He had to admit, Spider Cider was an acquired taste, but it had grown on him.

Soldiering on, Frisk crossed into the next room with it's six different pits. Considering he felt kind of hungry–especially after coming out of that last run–he fell into Vegetoid's hole on purpose, and was rewarded with a snack. Not exactly the best tasting snack in the whole Underground, but he wasn't about to be picky. Also, he had taken about two points of damage and only healed one, so...minor losses. He went back to the correct pit, flipped the switch, crawled back out through the holes in the wall, and continued on to the "switch stairwell," as he called it.

He only thanked whatever God was out there that the puzzles weren't the likes of which he'd read in some of the adventure comic books he read. If he was ever faced with puzzles of a similar caliber, he'd rather lie down and accept death; not even determination could help him power through _that._

He was about to flip the red one when something bumped into him from around the corner of the pillar, and he soon found himself face-to-lack of face with a Loox. They were probably the one monster he was actually cautious around, though it was mostly because of appearance; nobody wants to stare down a giant eyeball with horns, two arms, and two legs. But Frisk decided he needed to tell someone else of his plan, and maybe Loox was the Monster to pull it off. It couldn't hurt to ask, but he was getting tired of going through it over and over and over again.

And God only knew he wouldn't resort to getting the knives out anymore.

"Hey, uh...Mister Loox...?" Frisk began hesitantly. The loox recoiled in surprise, slightly, but obviously enough to mean that they hadn't been expecting Frisk to talk to them in a straightforward manner. "Would you, um...like, you know...would you help we with like...leaving…?"

The Monster made no indication that they didn't _want_ to listen to what Frisk had to say, so he continued, "'Cause, like...I mean, I like it here, but Toriel's, like...really...really stubborn? So could you, um...like, after she locks the door to Snowdin up, maybe, uh...sneak around her and...uh, y'know...like, unlock it?" The silence between them was so thick, Frisk wished he had Mettaton's chainsaw to cut it. "...Please…?" he finished awkwardly.

Loox only gazed at him, but eventually, they muttered "...Only if you promise not to pick on me."

Frisk was so taken aback he almost forgot to swear on it. He quickly crossed his finger over his heart. "Promise."

Loox was silent for a moment before they rolled their singular eye. _"Finally,_ someone gets it," they sighed in relief. They left without another word, but Frisk continued to stand there awkwardly, until a renewed sense of purpose came knocking on the door to his mind. He wiped the vacant expression off his face and marched out of the room to meet Toriel again.

⭐The thought of avoiding conflict altogether fills you with determination.⭐

* * *

Consciousness oozed back to Frisk. It was a slow process, obviously, but when he awoke, he felt himself covered in wool blankets and linen sheets and the lights in his room were off. He never liked it when they were off, though. The first time he had slept in this bed, he felt uncomfortable, like someone was watching him. Now he understood it better: he felt like an intruder, like the room didn't belong to him.

Which was a fair assumption, because it didn't.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and swung himself out of bed, still dressed in his sweater and shorts. There was pie waiting for him on the floor. Frisk smiled. The more he played this little game, the more he appreciated the smaller things, and no matter how many times he ran through the Underground, Toriel's cinnamon-butterscotch pie always tasted fantastic. He picked up the slice of pie and ate it quickly, but not fast enough for it to be considered "wolfed down," and he left his room and went back down the hall. Frisk came to the living room, where Toriel was sitting in her chair in front of a roaring fire, busy reading one of the few books she had brought with her, years and years after she had left New Home. Frisk had read them all, at some point or another, but he'd never stayed longer than two weeks. Nothing changed no matter how long he stayed, another boundary he couldn't break within the rules of the Underground.

But even though he couldn't break all of them, his boundaries had opened up considerably.

"Ah, up already, I see?" Toriel looked up from her book, but trailed off before continuing, "Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here...I have so many old books I want to share!" Frisk walked up and gingerly got up on the recliner to sit on her knee. He looked like an oversized baby, but he really didn't care. It's not like anyone was watching, anyway. "And I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot."

Frisk smiled up at her. "That sounds fun!"

She paused a minute before she hesitantly said, "I've also prepared a curriculum for your education." Toriel probably expected Frisk to groan. No one under the age of forty enjoys school; if they did, that's probably because they were either using it just to see their friends...or they were a business major. Frisk didn't voice any displeasure, mainly because Toriel _was_ a great teacher, and also because he'd heard her repeat that phrase more than a hundred times before.

"I expected that," he shrugged.

"Oh!" She looked a little surprised. Maybe she had expected a more subdued response from the girls that had passed through her care, but Frisk was certain by now that whoever owned the old boxing gloves and six-shooter were _not_ the kind of people who would want to stay cooped up in a classroom all day. "Well...good! It may come as a surprise to you, but I have always wanted to become a teacher…" She trailed off again. "Well, perhaps that _isn't_ very surprising."

" **Still…"**

Frisk spluttered and tried to keep himself from laughing at Toriel's disgruntled expression. "I am glad to have you living here." She looked down into Frisk's eyes, and sensing something once more, asked, "Oh! Did you want something...?"

Frisk didn't move for a moment...but he shook his head. Then he paused, as if weighing his options, and reconsidered. "Actually, when's lunch?"

Toriel broke out into laughter. "Ah, dear…" she said wistfully, "I should have known. You must be at that age when little boys will happily eat whatever they can so they can keep growing." Frisk chuckled. "In that case..." she said as she moved to get up; Frisk happily jumped off her. "Perhaps I can spend today teaching you some of my homemade recipes. I am certain there will come a point I will be off doing my errands and won't be home before it's time to cook a meal, so perhaps it is best if I taught you first."

"Ooh! Can you teach my how to make that butterscotch-cinnamon pie?" Frisk asked excitedly.

This only earned him a wry grin from Toriel. "Just so you could make it when I am not home and eat it _all?"_ she chuckled, "I don't believe even a _human_ should have such power."

Frisk continued laughing as they made their way into the kitchen, and Toriel brought out all the pie tins and ingredients to start the lesson.

* * *

He was supposed to be asleep hours ago, but Frisk had other things to worry about. Mainly how he was supposed to see himself writing in the darkness of his room, but even that wasn't as bad as how he was going to word this note.

"...I'll...be out...for–gah, no!" he fumed as quietly as he could. He crumpled up the paper and threw it into the wastebasket next to him, dragged out a new clean sheet, and started again. "Dear...Miss...Toriel…" He shook his head without realizing it. It was _so_ hard not to call her "Mom." Especially after all this time. "I'm...really...sorry...you had to….learn...this...way…" he continued. His pencil _stritch-skritch-scratched_ against the paper, and he didn't like it. It felt like even the tiniest sounds would wake her, and explaining all this would be way too difficult. He shook his head again. Resetting now was doable, but _man,_ it would be a punch in the gut. "...But I...have...to go...to...Snowdin…" Frisk put the eraser in between his lips as the thought before continuing, "...But I'm...not...going...to...leave...the Underground…"

He stopped and stared up at the ceiling. He hoped someone was watching; if not the doctor, then maybe God, or whatever higher power was out there. He silently prayed for this plan to work. This was his last resort. If this failed, he'd…

Frisk cleared his head, going so far as to slap himself. This will work, and if it didn't...well, he'd just keep trying until he got it right.

The magic bullet.

"...I'll...come back...with a surprise...for you...okay…?" Frisk picked up the paper and read the message over. He reread it. He read it again. He read it several more times before he hastily added, "Please...don't be...mad...at me…" He must have checked it over fifty times before he decided it was good enough and got out some tape. He got up and cracked his door open slightly; the hall was dark.

Frisk stuck the tape to the paper and reached up as high as he could to stick the paper to the door before he crept out into the hall and slowly, carefully, shut the door behind him. Inch by laborious inch.

When it closed with a _click,_ he tensed up and whirled his head around wildly. Nothing else moved. "...Okay. Okay, good…" he whispered to himself. His sweater was getting damp. He turned toward the foyer and took one last look behind him. The hall was still dark and bare, and somewhere close to the end, he heard a faint buzzing noise that sounded like it was coming through the walls. "Alright...cool…" he told himself, "Nothing to worry about…"

He crept down the rest of the hallway. Every floorboard creaked when he stepped on it, and the way his ears were now working at hyperspeed, Frisk swore he could pick out a mote of dust settling on a coffee table. He looked back over his shoulder; nothing moved in the corridor behind him. He entered the foyer and shuffled around the railing to the stairs, and when he came to the first one, he checked it with one foot.

It sounded like the beams of the house were bending.

Frisk froze and whipped his head around behind him. No movement. No other sound.

 _Must've been in my head._

He tried again. It _still_ sounded like a breaking wooden beam with a megaphone in front of it, but Frisk tried to ignore it. The second step didn't sound much better. It sounded like two-hundred foot oak tree was being felled in the middle of a thunderstorm. The third step sounded like steel being bent with a ball-peen hammer. Frisk ignored all of it, repeating _You're only being paranoid,_ over and over in his head as he went down into the basement.

Once he hit the stone floor at the bottom, he took one, two, three steps before breaking into a full sprint.

He didn't bother to look behind him. It would be better to focus ahead and not worry about what would happen if he got caught. Toriel might be disappointed, but the worst part was that he'd have to reset. Still, he could barely concentrate on moving forward with the sound of footsteps echoing off the stone. Were they his? Were they Toriel's? Did they belong to someone else? Frisk didn't know. He just ran.

He ran until he saw the exit of the Ruins ahead of him, and only then did he slow down.

By the time he collapsed up against the heavy-set stone doors, he felt like his lungs were going to burst and his legs were on fire. He only sat with his back to the door, panting heavily; it remained that way for a few minutes before Frisk worked up the courage to glance behind him. He really didn't want to. He knew what was waiting for him: a very angry Toriel, arms crossed and squinting down at him. Tapping foot was optional, but expected.

So he guessed he shouldn't delay the inevitable, and he slowly looked behind him. His eyes widened.

Toriel wasn't there, but there _was_ a loox standing a few feet away. Frisk remained frozen like that for another moment...until they gave him a thumbs-up.

Almost all at once, Frisk felt the ache and the pain go away. He stared, dumbfounded, before he remembered what he was supposed to be doing, and glanced back up at the door. He braced himself...and he pushed.

The door rumbled as he opened it, which made him stop and glance behind him. It was a bit loud, but fortunately, he could squeeze out with another nudge. Frisk looked through the crack and saw a snow-covered path through a great maze of trees, and he smiled.

Oh, he _smiled._

Frisk proceeded to sidle between the double doors and while he was still facing the inside, gave a quiet "Thank you," to Loox. They nodded and smiled back before going forward and closing the door up from the inside again, leaving Frisk out in the cold.

But, oh, it didn't feel cold anymore.

* * *

A/N: A companion piece to a comic I'm working on ( .com). This story's meant to be like Deltarune: the same (well, similar) characters in a different setting.


	2. Good Time Trio Part 1

Good Time Trio Part 1

 _⌈A long time ago...⌉_

The trees were moving, and there wasn't any breeze. Frisk swore he could see their branches bobbing in the wind. He also swore he saw the smaller ones leaning in closer to him like nosy children listening on on some kind of secret. He kept wringing his hands, shaking his head slightly, _anything_ to keep the blood flowing, and _anything_ to keep his mind off of what he'd gone through back in the Ruins.

 _I've gone crazy,_ he thought. _Absolutely, balls-to-the-wall crazy!_

Nothing made sense. He tried to think it through as he walked, but that just made it even more confusing. Why had he gone through the same dialogue with Toriel twice? Why hadn't Toriel remembered dying? Why was everybody ignoring the bright, blazing stars on the ground that he could _clearly_ see?

Nothing made sense.

Frisk was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by the snapping of a twig. He whirled around and looked down to see that, yes indeed, a branch had been snapped behind him. Frisk knew for certain he'd never stepped on it. He elected to continue down the path a bit faster than before, and for awhile, nothing else happened.

Then he saw a humanoid figure duck behind a tree, and he froze. It looked squat and bald like a dwarf, probably only a few inches shorter than he was, and he was _not_ about to risk getting pummeled by a Monster's answer to a dwarf. Frisk kept moving, now at a power-walk pace, until he came to a bridge over a small chasm in the middle of the road, with wooden bars built over it.

The sound of footsteps crunching through the snow made him freeze before he even considered crossing it.

They were loud. And heavy. And coming closer with each passing second. _Oh, God,_ Frisk thought. _I'm going to die._

The footsteps kept coming. Closer, closer, until Frisk could almost _feel_ something behind him. He could certainly feel something breathing down his neck.

"Human…"

A voice, deep and gravely. "Don't you know how to greet a new pal...?"

Frisk desperately wanted to run and scream, "I don't know how to greet Monsters!" but fear rooted him to the spot. "Turn around…"

Frisk didn't want to turn around, but after a moment of silence, he felt like nothing was going to happen if he _didn't._ He turned, like a rusty cog working without oil, and was greeted with a squat, humanoid shadow staring at him.

"And shake my hand."

The living shadow extended its arm, and though Frisk hesitated…he reached out and shook.

 _PFTHBPTPTHFFFFFTHHHFRrrrrrrrrrrrrt...poot!_

A whoopee cushion.

His fears and paranoia were rewarded with a whoopee cushion. He felt himself get a little light-headed, though it was nothing compared to what he saw next. Out of the shadows, the squat figure revealed itself to be a skeleton.

An actual, honest-to-God, live (or un-alive, personal choice) skeleton, wearing a grey shirt, oversized hoodie, black shorts, and _pink fuzzy slippers,_ of all things. Frisk was valiantly fighting the urge to faint. He'd never been given reason to before.

"heh. the ol' whoopee-cushion-in-the-hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny." The skeleton stared at Frisk for a moment. He looked like he was trying to study Frisk's face, but for what reason, Frisk didn't know. Well, _maybe_ the skeleton was studying him. With the tunnel vision and the lights floating on the edges of his eyes, Frisk couldn't tell. "anyways, you're a human, right? that's hilarious. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but...y'know...i don't really care about capturing anybody."

"Didn't care about capturing anybody?" From what Toriel told him, he guessed Asgore's subjects would practically be camped out around the entrance to the Ruins to hunt for humans like him. "now my brother, papyrus…he's a human-huntin' FANATIC."

 _...Oh. Fantastic._

"hey, actually, i think that's him over there."

 _Oh,_ _ **fantastic.**_

"i have an idea. go through this gate thingy." Frisk kept staring at him, trying to comprehend what he was looking at. Sans must have taken it to mean cautiousness, because he added, "yeah, go right through. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anybody," and immediately herded Frisk across the bridge. Frisk was only going along with it because he was still trying to make sense of what he was living through; he expected things to be different in the Underground, but _this_ was in a whole league all its own.

"quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp," Sans said as he pointed over to a stumpy lamp that mimicked Frisk's outline almost perfectly. Frisk wanted to do the exact opposite and run away, but at this point, he found he was working on autopilot, and had already gone behind the lamp before he considered running in the other direction. Good thing, too, because as soon as he stopped moving, a taller, lankier skeleton wearing some very off-kilter armor and a red scarf ran into the clearing. "'sup, bro?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT'S 'SUP' BROTHER!" Papyrus yelled. "IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!"

Frisk was at least coherent enough to roll his eyes and moan quietly. He didn't want to face more puzzles right now. "YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION!" Papyrus took a moment to glance around, most likely taking in his surroundings fully, before he threw his hands out in front of him, gesturing at Sans palms up. "WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

"Staring at this lamp. It's really cool."

Frisk felt his blood freeze. _Don't you_ _ **dare,**_ he mentally reprimanded.

"Do you wanna look?"

Frisk felt normal sensation come back to him thanks to Sans' apparent betrayal, but before he could get ready to go down kicking and screaming…

"NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!" Papyrus cried again. He was stamping his foot impatiently. "WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? I WANT TO BE READY!" He stopped abruptly before smacking his breastplate with his arm and announced, "I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE!" Papyrus raised both fists to the sky and exclaimed, "I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!" and just as quickly settled into a heroic pose, his scarf flapping in a breeze that wasn't even blowing. "THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE!"

Frisk took the time Papyrus was facing away to peek out from behind the lamp, just to stand rigid again when he proclaimed, "RESPECT...RECOGNITION…" He bent forward, balling his fits up, and his eyes glimmered with pride. "I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK. TO BE. MY...FRIEND…?" _That's weird,_ Frisk thought. _He sounded really different there for a minute._ He sounded unsure. That insecurity, if really was that, was gone in an instant as he finished, "I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING," and turned back to Sans, most likely seeking his approval.

"hmm...maybe this lamp will help you."

"SANS!" Papyrus had gone right back to stomping on the ground in frustration. "YOU'RE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES!" He took in a deep breath and continued, "ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!"

"hey, take it easy. i've gotten a _ton_ of work done today," Sans chuckled. "A skele- _ton."_

Frisk, upon hearing that Sans was, in fact, a complete goober, couldn't help but giggle to himself a little bit. Sans himself proceeded to wink to the side, as if he was part of a comedy show.

"SANS!"

"come on. you're smiling," Sans teased.

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" Papyrus had to take a moment to lose his grin before he sighed and said, "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION…?"

Frisk could've sworn he heard Sans chuckle again. 'wow, sounds like you're really working yourself…" He peeked out and saw Sans winking. That wasn't a good sign. "down to the _bone."_

And a rimshot out of nowhere.

Papyrus couldn't take any more puns and cried, "UGH! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES. AS FOR YOUR WORK…" He trailed off before coming back with, "PUT A LITTLE MORE _BACKBONE_ INTO IT! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!"

 _I swear I've heard that laugh on a Saturday-morning cartoon before,_ Frisk thought. He then noticed Papyrus poked his head back into the clearing to utter one final "HEH!" before disappearing again.

"okay, you can come out now," Sans said nonchalantly. Frisk was surprised at first, but then remembered those two were brothers; Sans probably went through exchanges like this on a daily basis. He approached Sans, wanting to ask what the hell he just witnessed when the skeleton cut him off, as if expecting questions. "you oughta get going. he might come back, and if he does…"

Frisk gulped. He gulped harder when he saw Sans wink at him. "you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes." Frisk sighed in defeat and turned around, waving dismissively at Sans. Before he left the clearing, he took a quick peek at the mentioned sentry checkpoint, and was surprised to see bottles of ketchup, mustard, and relish lying around behind it. He shrugged and marched forward.

"actually, hey…"

Frisk stopped and went rigid, squeezing his eyes shut and balling his fists. _Oh, no…_

"hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?" Sans stuck his hands in his pockets and continued, "i was thinking...my brother's been kind of down lately. he's never seen a human before. And seeing you might just make his day." Frisk made no indication of moving from his spot, but he did turn to glare directly at Sans. "don't worry, he's not dangerous," Sans added. "...even if he tries to be."

Frisk thought he sounded a bit more morose than usual in his last comment, but Sans didn't give him a choice in an answer. "thanks a million. i'll be up ahead," he said. Without another word between them, Sans turned around and ran back to the path to the Ruins. Frisk stared off after him, now believing he was doubly crazy, and moved on.

He was still amazed that there was a lamp made in his shape down here, though. That was lucky.

And that feeling again. A wave of heat washed over Frisk, and he suddenly felt what little lightheadedness and ache still left in him melt away. He had to continue on, so he took a deep breath and walked back down the path. He'd only gone about seven steps when something came out of the forest and right toward him. Frisk stopped cold and stared up at what looked like some oversized duck with an ice-blue crest in the shape of a snowflake.

Snowdrake, he thought to himself, HP - 75, ATK - 12, DEF - 7. This teen comedian fights to keep a captive audience. _Oh, no._ He could only guess what that meant…

"M...m...macaroni and _freeze,"_ Snowdrake said.

Frisk paused for a moment and smiled. That one was actually new to him. He didn't have much time to do anything else before a blizzard of icicles came hurtling at him. He barely got away with dodging most of them. "Ice puns are _snow_ problem!" Snowdrake said again, more confident this time. Frisk grinned. That pun was sort of bottom-of-the-barrel, but honestly...

Frisk couldn't help but chuckle. "See? Laughs! Dad was wrong!" Snowdrake exclaimed. Another hail of sleet the size of Frisk's fist. He was lucky to get out only taking three damage. "Fights you in _cold_ blood," Snowdrake said again.

That one caught him off guard, and Frisk snorted. It must have been enough for Snowdrake, since he replied, "Thanks, you're all great," and waddled back into the trees. Frisk only looked at where he'd disappeared. This certainly wasn't the strangest thing he'd seen today, though, and besides, he had to keep moving forward. He stuffed his hands in his pockets...which he now found had about four more gold in them than before. Again. Frisk shook his head and continued forward.

Not even around the next bend and he saw a very familiar sight in front of him: two skeletons standing guard on the path he was walking. He didn't even get to voice his frustration before Papyrus cut him off without meaning to. "SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE…" Papyrus began before he suddenly perked up and glanced off to his left, toward Frisk. As soon as he saw him, his eyes went wide and he glanced back at Sans, who also looked over at Frisk. He looked back at Papyrus, who checked to make sure Frisk was still there, and then checked to make sure Sans hadn't gone to sleep yet. Sans glanced over at Frisk to see if there was any ketchup on him, but he looked back at Papyrus. Papyrus looked at Frisk, then back at Sans. Sans looked at papyrus, then over at Frisk. Sans, then Frisk. Frisk, then Papyrus. Frisk, Sans. Papyrus, Frisk. Frisk. Sans. Papyrus. Sans. Frisk. Papyrus. Frisk.

And then the two skeletons looked at each other, then to Frisk, and then quickly turned around to consort amongst themselves. "SANS! OH MY GOD! IS THAT…A HUMAN!?"

"uh, actually, i think that's a rock." Frisk was puzzled and glanced around. Sure enough, there was a small rock a couple feet away from him. He sighed to himself.

"OH." Papyrus looked so dejected.

"hey, what's that in front of the rock?"

Papyrus spun around one last time to look before his sad face disappeared all at once and he exclaimed, "OH, MY GOD!" he paused a moment before he leaned down and whispered, "(IS...IS THAT A HUMAN…?)" to Sans.

"yes," Sans whispered back.

"OH, MY GOD!" Frisk covered his ears and looked back up in time to see a bunch of birds hastily vacate the surrounding trees. How did an entire flock of birds even get down here in the first place? "SANS! I FINALLY DID IT!" Papyrus cried again. "UNDYNE WILL...I'M GONNA…" He gestured wildly to the trees, then behind him, then up to the sky, then to Sans. "I'LL BE SO…" There were tears forming on the edges of his eyesockets. "POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR!"

Papyrus froze for a moment before hastily clearing his throat and wiping the mist away from his vision. "-AHEM!-"

 _Oh, don't tell me he's gonna make a freaking speech,_ Frisk groaned internally.

"HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA!"

Frisk squeezed his eyes shut and moaned quietly to himself. _Of course he is._

Papyrus raised his fist, in a more dramatic manner than a threatening one. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN...THEN!" His expression fell and he glanced off to the side. "I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT." Frisk spluttered. He could guess what happened next, but Papyrus had an oddly astute sense of comedic timing. "IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE…"

He bent his head down and grinned. Well, he always looked like he was grinning. He grinned wider than usual. "ONLY IF YOU DARE!" He ran away again, cackling "NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" as he went.

As soon as he was sure papyrus was out of earshot, Sans turned to Frisk and said, "well, that went well." He must have noticed Frisk's pained expression, because he added, "don't sweat it, kid. i'll keep an eyesocket out for ya," with a wink. With that said, he turned and went after his brother.

Frisk looked up to the black sky and sighed, wondering how he got himself mixed up in all this craziness.

* * *

Frisk had always wanted a dog, and being able to freely pet one that stood on two legs was probably as good as he was going to get. Also, it was a dog wielding twin daggers, that was cool no matter which way you turned it. He trudged into the next clearing and was greeted with Sans, of all people. Against his better judgement, Frisk approached him and was about to speak when Sans beat him to the punch. "hey, here's something important to remember. my brother has a very special attack."

Frisk wanted to ask _How the hell did you color your words blue?_ but Sans continued, "if you see a blue attack, don't move and it won't hurt you."

 _Oh, my God, how are you doing that?_ Frisk asked internally.

"here's an easy way to keep it in mind," Sans explained, "imagine a stop sign. when you see a stop sign, you stop, right? stop signs are red. so imagine a blue stop sign instead. simple right? when fighting, think about blue stop signs."

That made less than zero sense. Frisk shook his head slightly and walked away. He didn't get far before he almost slipped and fell on his rear, thanks to a frozen-over ice pond, but he did slide all the way over to the other side. After regaining his footing, he hurriedly moved on through the trees, though he caught a glimpse of what lay beyond; he saw, through the trees, that he was on a massive cliff face overlooking a massive pine forest. _How long does this place stretch on for?_ Frisk wondered. He was pulled out of his thoughts, however, by bickering up ahead.

"YOU'RE SO LAZY!" Papyrus yelled. "YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!"

Frisk ran forward a few paces and found himself looking at the two skele-bros arguing on one of the more open cliffs, behind a clearing of lowered ground, clear of snow. Frisk could only imagine what was in store.

"i think that's called 'sleeping,'" Sans responded.

Papyrus stomped his foot once. "EXCUSES, EXCUSES!" Before he could continue to scold Sans, he noticed some colors that didn't match with the rest of his field of vision on the left side and turned to see Frisk standing there. "OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES!" he exclaimed joyfully. "IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES!"

Frisk shut his eyes and jerked his head down slightly. _Crap._

"I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE...QUITE _SHOCKING!_ FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE…" Papyrus gestured outward like a showman introducing his next performance. "ELECTRICITY MAZE!"

 _Electricity maze?_ That hardly seemed fair on its own, but an _invisible_ one, too? The whole system was rigged. "WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE…" Papyrus whipped a small, sky-blue sphere out from under his breastplate, "THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP! SOUND LIKE FUN?" Frisk swore he saw a cheeky grin on his face for a moment. He thought he saw one on Sans' face, too, but it looked...darker than the usual grin he sported. "BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL, I THINK." His face fell, and for a moment, Frisk almost felt bad. Then he reminded himself those two boneheads had _specifically_ designed this puzzle for him, and that apologetic feeling disappeared. After a pause, Papyrus perked back up and called, "OKAY, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW."

He didn't need to be a genius to see there was already something wrong with this picture. The sphere was the one doing the shocking, not the fence, and Papyrus was holding it. Frisk couldn't help but grin deviously to himself. For once, all apprehensiveness and caution was thrown to the wind, all for the sake that maybe, he'd get to see Papyrus make a fool of himself. This was gonna be good.

Frisk took a could steps forward and stopped abruptly when he felt something flow by him. It felt like water, but more...tingly? Yeah, tingly. That was the best way he could describe it. Speaking of which…

 _BZZ-ZZ-ZZ-ZZRRRRT!_

Papyrus felt a lot more of that as electricity surged through the sphere and shocked him silly, lighting him up like a Christmas tree. Frisk had to stop and double over, desperately trying to keep his laughter contained, but judging by the snickering he could hear, he wasn't doing a very good job. "SANS! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" he heard Papyrus yell.

He looked back up to see Papyrus staring Sans down, and Sans not caring. At least, Frisk thought Sans didn't care. It was hard to read a skeleton who was always smiling. "i think the human has to hold the orb," Sans said.

"OH, OKAY." Frisk whipped his head back up to look at Papyrus. He expected Papyrus to be a lot of things, but "totally okay with this" was not one of them. He sounded like he wasn't even hurt, and Frisk didn't know what to make of it. He _did_ know what to make of his path, however, as he watched Papyrus walk through the invisible maze, leaving soft but noticeable footprints along his route before he came to a stop in front of Frisk. He was a lot more imposing up close; if he was taller than Sans, he dwarfed Frisk by comparison. "HOLD THIS PLEASE!" He didn't even wait before he lightly tossed the globe in the air and it landed perfectly on Frisk's head. By that time, he was already back to where he was standing before, and he called, "OKAY, TRY NOW!"

Frisk glanced up at the sphere on his head very quickly before he shrugged and walked the path Papyrus had left through the maze. As soon as he made it out the other side, Papyrus exclaimed, "INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY…" Papyrus paused to bring his glove up to his chin thoughtfully. "TOO EASILY!" He struck another dramatic pose and proclaimed, "HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED!" Frisk glanced around Papyrus, at Sans. He looked half-asleep already. "I KNOW I AM! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" He watched Papyrus slide away, backward, on his heels. It almost looked like he was wearing roller skates, or heelys. Either way, he walked up to Sans to see what he had to say.

"hey, thanks...my brother seems like he's having fun." Sans glanced off in Papyrus' direction and continued, "by the way, did you see that weird outfit he's wearing? we made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. he hasn't worn anything else since..." He winked. "keeps calling it his 'battle body.' man..." He sighed and smiled a bit wider. "isn't my brother cool?"

Frisk shook his head slightly and kept moving on. He had to give Sans credit, though, if he had a brother like that, he'd get real sick of his shenanigans real quick. Props to the skeleton for putting up with Papyrus.

* * *

 _What the hell did it mean by "Even when you felt trapped, you took notes and achieved the end of 'Ball'...?"_ Frisk thought as he walked on through the trees. _Makes no freaking sense._ He kept walking until he finally got to another clearing, with Sans, Papyrus…

And a small piece of paper on the permafrost in front of him. He glanced down at it, and then back up at the two skeletons. Papyrus looked like he had been waiting.

"HUMAN! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR…" He then looked down at the clearing and the paper, and quickly turned his frustrated look to Sans. "SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE!"

Sans gestured to the paper. "it's right there. on the ground." He grinned that knowing grin of his back at Papyrus and said, "trust me. there's _no_ way they can get past this one." Frisk started at them for a second before getting a closer look at the paper. He picked it up and looked at it to find it was…

"Monster Kidz Word Search?"

He shook his head. This was barely even a puzzle. It even had a terribly-designed mascot on the paper that looked like an ice cube with a dog's muzzle with a speech bubble that read, "Hey, Kid's! Can you help me solve this puzzle?"

Frisk grimaced. _You didn't even_ spell _'kids' right, dumbass._ He looked over at the words he needed to find: _fall, winter, spring, summer...monster, skeletons, mermaid, robot...cigars, cig…_

He squinted harder.

 _...Giasfclfebrehber._

 _Is this some sort of stupid joke?_ he thought. He read the last word. _Hot._

He rolled his eyes. He could see "cigars," "monster," "robot..."

Wait, that nonsense word was at the top. Easy...wait.

...The last letter was off.

Frisk's lower eyelid twitched a couple times and he threw the paper aside. Papyrus was indignant. "SANS! THAT DIDN'T _DO_ ANYTHING!"

"whoops," Sans replied casually. "i knew i should have used today's crossword instead."

"WHAT!? CROSSWORD!?" Papyrus exclaimed, "I CAN'T _BELIEVE_ YOU SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION…" He recomposed himself, wiping his skull of the sweat that was building up ( _could_ skeletons even sweat?) and continued, "JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST."

"what? really, dude? that easy-peasy word scramble?" Sans said. Frisk could swear he saw Sans' shoulders jerking up and down as if he was trying not to chuckle too loud. "that's for baby-bones."

"UN. BELIEVABLE," Papyrus deadpanned. He turned to Frisk and to his surprise, demanded, "HUMAN! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!"

So Papyrus wanted to know if a word-scramble or crossword was harder…? Hmm. Frisk remembered doing crosswords before, and he _hated_ word scrambles. It's not that he was _bad_ at spelling, far from it...it was just impossible to figure out what word the puzzle was asking for with vague clues. Word scrambles took up too much time for him, and he looked up at Papyrus and began to open his mouth.

"HA! HA! YES!" Papyrus cheered without even waiting. "HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT...! IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE SO DIFFICULT! NYEH! HEH! HEH-HEH!" Papyrus took off again. Frisk was pretty sure no newspaper on the surface even _had_ a word scramble named "Junior Jumble."

"thanks for saying 'junior jumble' just to appease my brother," Sans piped up. "yesterday he got stumped trying to 'solve' the horoscope." Frisk sputtered and laughed a little bit, and looked up to see Sans shrug and wink at him after a pause. Frisk quickly stood up rigid and glared at Sans with the old "You tell anyone I did that and I'll kill you" look before he moved on.

About a yard later, Frisk stumbled upon a table holding a plate of spaghetti and another table to the right with a microwave on it. There was also a note on the ground, which he checked. "HUMAN!" it read, "PLEASE ENJOY THIS SPAGHETTI." There was a footnote under it that read, "(LITTLE DO YOU KNOW, THIS SPAGHETTI IS A TRAP...)" Frisk looked over at the spaghetti and raised an eyebrow (and he was pretty sure _it_ raised an eyebrow back). He continued reading the rest of the note. "(DESIGNED TO ENTICE YOU!" YOU'LL BE SO BUSY EATING IT...THAT YOU WON'T REALIZE THAT YOU AREN'T PROGRESSING!) THOROUGHLY JAPED AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" His signature was a simple, "NYEH-HEH-HEH, PAPYRUS."

Frisk put the note back down and checked the spaghetti more closely. It was covered in frost, and he poked it with his stick. It didn't budge. He poked it a little harder, and the whole thing sounded like cracking ice.

It's so cold, it's frozen to the table.

 _I don't mind cold food, but this is stupid!_ Frisk thought. He looked around the clearing. On all sides were either trees or rock faces, but he noticed, on the one behind the frozen spaghetti, there was a small mousehole. He wondered if the mouse would be able to heat it up with the microwave. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary, seeing what he'd seen so far.

And there it was again. A wash of warmth and a surge in his chest. He had to keep moving. He had to get out, so he turned and kept walking away from the spaghetti.

⭐Knowing the mouse might one day find a way to heat up the spaghetti...it fills you with determination.⭐


	3. A Welcome Misstep

A Welcome Misstep

Only the sound of wind here, out in no-man's land. Or no-monster's land, more accurately. Wind whistling through the pine trees. Frisk had been here before, hundreds of times, but never quite like this. He felt so weak, braced up against the doors to the Ruins; no matter how many times he had to leave, the pain never went away lightly. And all the promises that he'd come back were doomed to get torn apart, always by his own hand. He wanted to cry, but...well, he was. Just very quietly.

He just really hoped he was out of the peripheral view of Alphys' camera. Might throw too much out of whack if she saw him like this.

After a moment of silence–for himself, for his mistakes, for his plans that were always doomed to fail–he rose back up and breathed in. _Got work to do, friends to make, people to save._ He let himself smile. He felt like a superhero; an older, jaded superhero, but still a superhero. On a technicality, he _was_ one. Frisk turned around and trotted down the woodland path to Snowdin's forest.

The pine trees began bobbing in a wind that wasn't there anymore, and Frisk could hear something droning in his ears. He kept walking. Even when he heard a twig snap behind him, he kept walking. He ignored the shadow in the trees and kept walking until he got to the bridge where the footsteps came crunching through the snow, until they were right behind him and he felt someone breathing down his neck.

"Human…Don't you know how to greet a new pal…? Turn around..."

Frisk turned. He tried to look as uninterested as possible.

"And shake my hand." He held out his hand, and Frisk accepted.

 _BZZZZZZZZZZRT!_

Frisk's eyes went wide as he felt a static shock jolt up his arm and he quickly pulled his hand back. Still wide-eyed, he stared at Sans as the shadows melted away. "heh. the ol' joybuzzer trick," Sans said as he held up his palm. There was a small blue buzzer roped around his middle finger. "always a classic."

Frisk stumbled back, clutching his chest. "You…!"

Sans' eyes went wide and his smile flattened out a moment before it went back to normal. Soon, there wasn't anything else to be heard besides the whispering wind. "...You did something different. You're supposed to have a-" It was then Frisk realized he was saying too much; the shock had made him too talkative, so he abruptly cut himself off.

"heh heh. had a funny feeling you'd say something like that," Sans chortled as he stuck his hands back into his pockets. "what can i say? variety's the spice of life." He sighed and continued, "you did something different, too, y'know…"

"I...did…?"

Sans nodded. "uh-huh. ya talked."

Frisk was silent a moment before he rubbed the back of his neck and murmured, "I, uh, I guess I did…" His expression suddenly became more serious and he looked back up at Sans. "How did you-"

"actually, kid, i had…" he trailed off and pointed to his temple. _"know_ idea."

Frisk sputtered and replied, "That's you're _worst_ one yet!"

"hey, how'd you know i made jokes for a living?" Sans inquired. Frisk's smile fell immediately and he averted his gaze. "nah, just kiddin', bud." Sans then reached into his hoodie and pulled out...a rather large notebook. "truth is, i know a lot now."

Frisk stared at the notebook for a moment before hesitantly pointing at it and asking, "...Wait, what's in the-"

"book?" Sans cut him off again. He glanced down at it before replacing it under his clothes. "well, that's on a need-to-know basis. sorry, bucko." Frisk looked down at the ground after fully comprehending what Sans had said before he continued, "actually, tell you what…"

He raised his head to look at Sans again. Hopeful, but cautious. "i'm supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but really…? i don't care about capturing anybody," Sans shrugged. "now, my brother papyrus…" Frisk felt himself smiling, a fact that wasn't lost on Sans himself. "he's a human-hunting FANATIC." Sans exhaled, closed his eyes, and hung his head for a moment. Frisk was about to ask if something was wrong before he picked his head up again and met his gaze. "maybe if ya play nice with him, i'll tell you what i got in here," he said, patting his hoodie.

Frisk was rooted to the spot for a few seconds before he realized what Sans had said, and he didn't even need any instruction. Frisk dashed off in the blink of an eye, across the bridge and into the clearing ahead. Sans' eyes widened for a moment before he hustled across the bridge himself, back to his sentry station and a conveniently-shaped lamp. He didn't even need to call out before he saw Frisk poke his head out from behind the lamp and wink at him.

For once, Sans actually felt a bit happier than usual, especially when he saw Papyrus march into the clearing. "'sup, bro?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT'S 'SUP' BROTHER!"

* * *

"Yo! You're a kid, too, right?"

"Yep."

MK grinned. "Yeah! I can tell 'cause you're wearing a striped shirt." He paused and said, "I wonder if that weird skeleton is an adult or a kid."

Frisk smiled and rolled his eyes before waving goodbye. He didn't really bother talking to anyone else, mainly because he had to talk with Sans. And the only way to get Sans to talk was to go meet Papyrus again. So all in all, busy day. He ran by Grillby's bar, the librarby, and Sans and Papyrus' house until he was on the edge of town, all by his lonesome. It was a familiar feeling. A good feeling. Even with the fog obscuring his vision the further he walked, it felt like he'd come back home. Soon, he saw a slender shape take form just a few feet ahead.

"HUMAN. ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS," Papyrus began. "FEELINGS LIKE...THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS…" He trailed off. Frisk could see him bring his head up, though he couldn't see the details on Papyrus' face. "THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!" he exclaimed. "I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE."

Frisk shook his head. Even on his very first run, he knew that Papyrus was projecting. Well, maybe. He was naïve, not dumb. "I PITY YOU...LONELY HUMAN…" All at once, Papyrus brought his hand up, pointing at the sky. "WORRY NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR…"

He trailed off again and brought his hand down. "NO...NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND! YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS!" he proclaimed. "THAT'S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER...OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

Papyrus blocks the way!

Frisk checked him, and smiled when he saw "Papyrus - ATK 8, DEF 2. He brightens people's day."

"NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus sent out several bones, all of which Frisk avoided easily. There was only one thing that could come next. He pulled his left foot back and kept his right foot forward so that they formed a T-shape. He then brought up his hands and snapped, turning them into finger guns.

"WHAT!?" Papyrus exclaimed in surprise. "FL-FLIRTING!?" It took him a moment to recompose himself before he shakily declared, "SO YOU FINALLY REVEAL YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS? W-WELL! I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!"

"I can make spaghetti," Frisk replied without missing a beat.

...He winked, too.

"OH, NO! YOU'RE MEETING ALL MY STANDARDS!" Papyrus paused and scratched his chin before he tentatively said, "I GUESS THIS MEANS I HAVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU…? LET'S DATE L-LATER! AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!"

Papyrus is thinking about what to wear for his date.

He sent out a few more bones. Frisk could've probably dodged them in his sleep; time to get things rolling. He stood up straight, breaking his previous posture and he gestured down with his arms, palms-out, as if inviting someone in for a hug. Papyrus studied him for a minute before he said, "SO YOU WON'T FIGHT…" He quickly stood back at attention. "THEN LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED ｢BLUE ATTACK｣!"

A line of blue bones appeared and slid toward him. Frisk didn't move until they had all disappeared, but after that, he suddenly felt himself get heavier, and felt his SOUL get dragged closer to the ground. "YOU'RE BLUE NOW," Papyrus explained with a triumphant smile. "THAT'S MY ATTACK! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!"

Smells like bones.

They came at him, one by one, and Frisk forced himself up to jump over them.

"HMMM...I WONDER WHAT I SHOULD WEAR…"

Frisk made no attempt to FIGHT. He only stood back up and held out his arms.

"WHAT!? I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT DATE THING!" he cried incredulously. Frisk tried not to laugh. Still funny.

The bones came back out at him, in rapid succession now. Frisk was still able to leap over them all. Frisk spared Papyrus again. "YEAH! DON'T MAKE ME USE MY _SPECIAL ATTACK!"_

Another gaggle of bones, summoned by Papyrus' hand, came barreling toward him. He jumped over two small ones, ducked under one other, and vaulted over the last two. Spare him again. "I CAN ALMOST TASTE MY FUTURE POPULARITY!" Papyrus exclaimed happily. He sent out more bones.

Frisk managed to dodge them all, but as he landed after another jump, he noticed a tiny little blue bone skidding toward him and he was still shaky. He tripped and felt magic rend his SOUL slightly. "PAPYRUS: HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD!" Frisk turned around and vaulted between two bones approaching from behind him before leaping over another line of bones in front of him.

Spare Papyrus. "PAPYRUS: UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE!" More bones, coming in from all sides. Frisk ducked under one just to be greeted with a line of them. He jumped, sailing through the air for a second before he touched down and rolled under another couple bones again, and then froze as a blue bone passed through him.

Spare.

"UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF ME!" Frisk jumped over a conga line of bones before standing up again, just to spare him. "THE KING WILL TRIM A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY SMILE!" Frisk smiled. He remembered that hedge.

His nostalgia was rewarded with a lot of pain as he got sandwiched between two bones, and he quickly rectified his mistake by jumping over the rest.

Papyrus is trying hard to play it cool.

"MY BROTHER...WELL, HE WON'T CHANGE VERY MUCH," he trailed off in a chuckle. Frisk proceeded to leapfrog over several bones that went up to about his ankles. He made no move to FIGHT. "I'LL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERS!" Papyrus rejoiced. However, he quickly became sullen. "BUT…"

Another barrage of bones, another spared turn. "WILL ANYONE LIKE ME AS SINCERELY AS YOU?" Frisk kept dodging, and Papyrus continued, "SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS REALLY RARE…"

Bones came at him again, tall and imposing monoliths of magic. Frisk vaulted over them all, spared again, and Papyrus said, "AND DATING MIGHT BE KIND OF HARD…AFTER YOU'RE CAPTURED AND SENT AWAY." Frisk's eyes widened. Papyrus always took two turns to finish that first statement, and he couldn't help but grin like a loon. Times, they were a'changing.

He threw himself all around the clearing, jumping over lines of bones before Papyrus cried, "URGH...WHO CARES! GIVE UP!" Losing his patience; the battle was closing. Frisk barely had any time to react before jumping over dozens more bones, and he stood up at the end of it all to spare Papyrus.

Papyrus is considering his options

"GIVE UP OR FACE MY... _SPECIAL ATTACK!"_ Frisk ignored him. He was too busy ducking under bones and jumping through hoops like a circus lion. He got up and spared him.

"YEAH! VERY SOON, I WILL USE MY _SPECIAL ATTACK!"_ Papyrus warned him. Frisk was actually looking forward to it, until a thought crossed his mind:

What if he actually _uses_ his special attack this time around?

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he took several hits that could have been easily avoided, and when his turn came back up, Frisk ate some Nice Cream to heal. "NOT TOO LONG, AND I WILL USE THAT _SPECIAL ATTACK!"_ Papyrus decreed triumphantly.

Frisk paid him no mind, or at least pretended to. In reality, he was now stressing over what he'd do if Papyrus' special attack went off without a hitch. Would he have to fight? Would he have to reset? _Man, I hope not,_ he thought as he spared Papyrus again.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE…" Papyrus called, "BEFORE MY _SPECIAL ATTACK!"_ Frisk froze and let the blue bones pass through him while he quickly hopped over the small white ones. Once that was done, he sighed. He could only hope for the best. "BEHOLD…!" Papyrus said at last, "MY _SPECIAL ATTACK!"_ He turned off to one side and Frisk started fretting. What _would_ special attack be like? Would it just be a giant bone, set against the sky like a great monolith? A whirlwind of bones charged with electricity? A pie thrown into his face with bones inside?

No way to avoid it, though. Frisk glanced to the side where papyrus was looking and quirked an eyebrow. That was an odd-looking special attack. Looked like a-

He stopped abruptly and giggled to himself. There was a small, white, annoying dog chewing on a bone. Frisk shook his head, getting himself worked up over nothing like that. "WHAT THE HECK!" Papyrus yelled at the dog. "THAT'S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! HEY! YOU STUPID DOG!"

The poor dog glanced up at Papyrus, his eyes wide. "DO YOU HEAR ME!? STOP MUNCHING ON THAT BONE!" The dog wasted no time in taking off into the trees. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Papyrus called. "GET BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" He then froze and turned back to Frisk, obviously debating whether or not he should either chase the dog and risk losing him or stay and have to fight without a special attack. Truth be told, Frisk would happily wait for him to get his attack back, but that might have to wait for another day. "...OH, WELL. I'LL JUST USE A REALLY COOL REGULAR ATTACK." He sounded so disappointed. "HERE'S AN ABSOLUTELY NORMAL ATTACK," he sighed.

And truth be told, if this was a normal attack, Frisk really didn't want to see what kind of special attack Papyrus was capable of. Bones on every side came flying toward him and he jumped. Then he ducked. He leapt through an opening between bones and scraped his knee. One, two, three, one, two, three, coming from all sides. He leapt over a mess of bones that spelled, "Cool," and then another one that said, "Dude." Finally there was a field of them, all moving his way, and he forced himself off the ground. He went up, higher and higher. Higher than should be realistically possible in his situation, until he cleared the last giant bone at the end...and then the tiny one moving slower than molasses down a sidewalk in January.

Papyrus was bent over, huffing to himself, most of his magic spent just trying to make one attack look good. "WELL…!" he huffed, "IT'S CLEAR...YOU CAN'T! DEFEAT ME!" He straightened himself up and continued, "YEAH! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS! THEREFORE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY!" He gestured out with his arms, palms out and down. "I WILL SPARE YOU, HUMAN! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY."

Frisk stood up straight, smiled, and returned the gesture. All at once, the fog cleared, and Papyrus, now sullen-faced, turned his back to Frisk. "NYOO HOO HOO…" He was trying to make it sound like he wasn't crying. "I CAN'T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU…UNDYNE'S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME." He sniffled and raised his head to the sky, as if trying to scry his future in the rock high above them. "I'LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD...AND– _NYOOF…!"_

His bawling was stopped all at once when Frisk ran up and hugged him from behind, jumping up to cling to his breastplate. Papyrus rocked forward slightly, and when he looked at Frisk, his head on Papyrus' shoulder, there was shock written all over it. Frisk stopped giggling just long enough to look him in the eyes and say, "...I'll be your friend, Papyrus. No matter what."

Papyrus said nothing. He was staring into Frisk's eyes, studying his face. For a moment, Frisk's smile faltered. He'd done something wrong again, most likely. He'd shaken things up too much, and now Papyrus wasn't going to be his friend. His smile disappeared entirely, and he loosened his grip on Papyrus' scarf.

But before he could drop to the ground, he felt himself scooped up and whirled around in a whirlwind hug, delivered by none other than the Great Papyrus himself. After he was done spinning, Papyrus was holding Frisk up like a newborn child, beaming with pride. "YOU WILL…!?"

The laughter started. Old friends never die. "No matter what!" Frisk repeated giddily.

It was Papyrus' turn to laugh. "WOWIE! WHO KNEW THE BEST WAY TO BEFRIEND SOMEONE WAS TO GIVE THEM AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM?" he chortled in a rare moment of humility. "WELL THEN…" He set Frisk down and said, "I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH, AND I'LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE…"

"Don't need'em."

Papyrus blinked. "...WHAT DID YOU SAY, HUMAN?"

Frisk smiled up at him. "Don't need'em, but thanks."

"BUT, HUMAN…" Papyrus began, "YOU'LL SURELY GET LOST! I WILL NOT HAVE MY NEW FRIEND GETTING LOST ON THE WAY TO THE SURFACE!"

"Just go through the cavern, through Hotland, and up to the king's castle, right?"

"AH, EXCELLENT!" Papyrus exclaimed, "I AM SUCH A FANTASTIC GUIDE, I ALREADY GAVE YOU THE DIRECTIONS, EVEN THOUGH I NEVER ACTUALLY TOLD YOU MYSELF! NOW YOU CAN GO TALK TO THE KING AND-"

"And leave the Underground?" Frisk finished for him. Papyrus' trademark grin suddenly disappeared, and he went silent.

"...YES. YOU WILL HAVE TO CROSS THE BARRIER AND GO HOME," he explained, mostly to himself. He wasn't smiling, but Frisk was. He walked up to Papyrus and grabbed one of his gloves, prompting the skeleton to look up and meet his gaze.

"Why would I leave my best friend behind?" Frisk asked.

Papyrus twisted his face to try and glean what Frisk meant, until Frisk himself could practically see the little lightbulb appear over his head. "WAIT. YOU SEEM TO BE IMPLYING YOU DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE." Frisk nodded, and Papyrus' smile returned tenfold. "WOWIE…!" he gasped as he placed a hand on both of his cheeks. "NOBODY HAS EVER DECIDED TO STAY IN THE UNDERGROUND JUST FOR ME! YOU SHOULDN'T FEEL BAD, HUMAN," Papyrus said. "...FOR YOU WILL HAVE THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO HELP YOU GET ADJUSTED TO LIFE HERE! YOU ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE ME!" He adjusted his scarf. "IN THAT CASE, ENOUGH TALK! I SHALL RETURN HOME AND PREPARE FOR OUR DATE, AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOES NOT AIM TO DISAPPOINT. IT'S PART OF MY TITLE, AFTER ALL."

He jumped up and over Frisk before running back into Snowdin, cackling "NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" all the way. Frisk waved after him and watched him disappear. He did have a couple moments of silence to himself before another voice sounded off.

"well, shoot, kid. you really made my bro happy."

Frisk turned around to see Sans leaning up against a tree near the riverbank, hands in his pockets. He opened one eye and pushed himself off the tree trunk, and took a few steps toward Frisk. "guess you're a real _angel,_ huh?"

Frisk crossed his arms and grinned wryly. "Gee, that doesn't sound sarcastic at _all,"_ Frisk said.

Sans chuckled and pulled out his notebook. _"book_ who's talking." Frisk blew out some air and turned it into a chuckle before looking back at Sans expectantly. Sans remained silent for a moment before he lowered the hand that was holding said notebook and continued, "but for real, though...you probably don't know how or why i got my hands on a joybuzzer, do you?"

"...Well, as for 'how,' I'd imagine you've got a whole _arsenal_ of gag gifts hidden in your hoodie," Frisk said. "But otherwise...yeah, no."

Sans' shoulders sagged a bit. "lucky for you, the 'how' isn't important, but as for 'why…'" He looked back up at Frisk and finished, "i kinda went back to my roots." It took Frisk a bit longer than normal to figure out what Sans was getting at, but when he did…

"...Your lab…"

"bingo." Sans winked at him. "got this feeling one night. y'know, _that_ feeling? that feeling that you're just kinda missing something vital, and if you don't get out of bed, it's gonna make your life harder?" Frisk only stared at him, and Sans chuckled grimly, "huh. guess my experiences ain't universal." He refocused on Frisk and continued, "but yeah, i decided to go back to doing what i did best. and what i found was...pretty interesting." He held the notebook back up again and opened it, inviting Frisk to have a look, too. When he did, his eyes went wide.

There were equations scribbled across the whole page, in mathematical terms he didn't understand. But then, he knew about some more advanced forms of math, and he was pretty sure this wasn't even _close_ to calculus. He couldn't even make sense of some of the variable names. Then Sans flipped the page, without warning, and Frisk saw a diagram, starting from the top of the page and going down. At the top, however, was...him. A crudely-drawn version of him, but Sans had drawn in the sweater, the pants, and the stick, so it couldn't _not_ be him. Below that were boxes, with names. One read: "Toriel: [x] alive [] dead" Frisk's eyes widened more, but he continued reading down the list.

"Papyrus: [] alive [x] dead"

"Mettaton: [x] alive [] dead"

The names continued, listing every major player in the game of the Underground. And there were even dialogue boxes for specific conditions: "Befriended Papyrus: [] yes [x] no"

"Killed more than 20 Monsters: [] yes [x] no"

"Befriended Alphys: [] yes [x] no"

He glanced over at Sans, fleetingly. He wasn't looking at Frisk, but he must have sensed something, because he flipped the page. There was another diagram, almost the exact same one, but some of the dialog boxes had different criteria met: some were filled in with a "yes" answer instead of "no," some of the alternate choices were filled in. He flipped the page again, to the same diagram, different goals met. He flipped the page, and there was another diagram. Flipped the page; same diagram.

He kept flipping through pages, and it seemed like there were dozens of them all listing the same things...until he stopped. One last diagram, with Frisk at the top. As his eyes wandered down the page, however, he noticed the dialog boxes had far more intricate things written in them.

"Ordered something at Grillby's: [] burger [] fries [x] shake [] n/a"

"Delayed going to the castle: [] by three days [x] by one week [] by one month [] other"

"Came back to Snowdin before going to Hotland: [x] yes [] no"

"Delivered Undyne's letter: [] yes [] no [] tossed the first one [x] suggested Undyne deliver it herself"

It was hard, taking it all in. Frisk thought Sans had sworn off researching time this intensely again, but apparently...he was mistaken. He slowly turned his head to look at Sans. He was smiling, as usual, but it didn't feel like he was being threatened. Or toyed with. He _couldn't_ read him, actually. "You...you know…"

"yep." Sans said. "decided to put my spectacles on, if you catch my drift. sense of deja-vu was getting worse. started gettin' headaches because of it, actually."

Frisk muttered "sorry" but Sans either didn't hear him or didn't care.

"started trackin' your progress through the underground. resets might wipe memories, but they have a harder time wiping written records...at least, the ones i keep in my lab," Sans explained. "anyway, at first i thought i'd finally gone crazy...i mean, what good's this gonna do, right? buncha notes telling me nothing but what this kid can and can't do." Frisk absentmindedly started rubbing his arm and looked away. "but the more i wrote down in this old book, the more i realized patterns...were changing." Frisk pulled his head back up, and stared intently at Sans; he shivered when he saw his eyes were pitch-black.

"there's just one piece of the puzzle missing…" Sans said. He took out a pencil, staring Frisk down all the while. And just as suddenly, he perked up and his jolly smile came back. "never caught your name, kid."

He was frozen for a minute, but eventually, he felt calm enough telling Sans, "...Frisk. That's my name."

"heh heh. alright." Sans lifted the notebook up and scribbled Frisk's name on the current page. It was blank, save for the single drawing of him at the top. "that's good. we're already making waves."

He wanted to leave it at that, but Frisk's curiosity always got the better of him. "Sans…?" The skeleton looked up from his paper, still smiling kindly. "Why…? Why are you, like...writing all this down…? It sure _sounds_ like you've gone crazy, y'know? What are you, um, trying to get at?"

Sans was silent as he stared at Frisk, most likely trying to form a response, but after a moment, he smiled and closed his eyes. "was hoping you'd ask," he said. He flipped through the notebook again; Frisk saw, on top of equations, diagrams for machines he'd never seen before...except one. The skull of a ram. The DT Extraction Machine. He shuddered. "that's the whole reason patterns are changing. every timeline you went through, i noticed you were spending more and more time down here. if that wasn't the case on a particular run, you were blazing through it like a comet. i logged'em all, or at least, i think i did…" He sighed. "and it led me to one conclusion: there's something down here you're after, and you'll happily reset a million times until you get it. what that is, well…" he gestured up to the ceiling, and its blackness. "i'm still _in the dark_ on that. help me out here, frisk."

He said nothing, but his head sunk. The longer Sans looked at him, the more his skeletal grin flattened out. "I…" Frisk turned off to the side, toward the river, and began watching the ice cubes float by; certainly more bearable than what was on his mind. After a long, tense silence, he shook his head. "...I don't feel like I can tell you that right now. It's…" He blinked and touched the corner of his eye. It was damp. "It's a really long story." Frisk kept gazing out at the ice cubes floating lazily down the river, all the way to the CORE. He didn't want to look at Sans; he was probably hurt, or worse...but standing around wasn't going to do anything anyway. He glanced over.

To his surprise, Sans' eyes were closed, and he had his hands in his pockets. He must have sensed Frisk looking at him, because his eyes opened up again, and to his surprise, they were filled with calmness. He almost looked...apologetic…? "...i see," was all he said. He approached Frisk until he was only a couple inches away and looked into his eyes, "tell you what. if you don't feel comfortable talking about it, i won't force ya. you can tell me when you're good and ready. 'kay?"

A smile slowly formed on Frisk's lips. A tentative smile, but a smile all the same. "Okay," he whispered.

Sans nodded and began to trod off back into town before he stopped and looked back. "hey, by the way...since i'm on break, thought i'd go to grillby's," he said. He glanced off to the side and his grin widened slightly. "i'd tell ya he makes the best fries this side of hotland, but somethin' tells me you know already. wanna come with?"

Frisk's smile got wider. "Oh, you better believe it," he said.

"cool," Sans chuckled. "let's go." He turned and walked away again and Frisk was about to follow him when suddenly…

He felt something tugging at the back of his mind. That strange feeling...the feeling of being watched. He whirled his head around to see...

"Flowey…?"

Flowey was only a few feet away, happily bobbing up and down in tune with some sort of music track Frisk couldn't hear. "Yep!" Flowey chirped. "That was an... _interesting_ talk you had with the trashbag, by the way." He mentally cursed himself. He should've known Flowey would be listening in. They were probably first on Flowey's "Keep a sharp eye on" list; both of them. But how much had Flowey heard? Frisk didn't know; he had to assume the worst and believe Flowey had heard everything. "Funny how he could never get off his lazy butt to save his life until you started tampering with the timeline...especially that _one_ time."

Frisk swallowed hard and he went pale. Flowey grinned maliciously at him. "And yes, I'm _still_ mad about it. But that's fine...!" Flowey's grin widened to an almost impossible level. "This looks like it's gonna be so much more _interesting_ anyway."

"hey, kid!"

Frisk whipped around to see Sans standing several feet away. He looked worried, or at least Frisk thought he did. "you comin'? bein' lazy's better with friends, y'know."

"But…" Frisk looked back only find Flowey was gone. He frantically searched the area with his eyes, but he couldn't find any evidence Flowey had been there, and after glancing around for another few seconds, Frisk sighed and turned back to Sans. "Yeah, I'm comin'!"

* * *

A/N: Don't get used to rapid updates like this. I only wrote out 4 chapters in advance lol.


	4. Shattered Wings

Shattered Wings

Grillby's was hopping, as usual. The drunk bunny was in a booth to the right, as was the mouth-monster in the booth behind them. The Canine Unit was busy playing poker, as was the Lesser Dog at the table to the far left, nearest the kitchen, and there was a washed-up fish and a bird sitting at the counter, along with a horse sitting by the jukebox. The door swung open and who walked in but none other than Frisk and Sans.

"heya."

They both walked by the Canine Unit and the two booths on the right; everyone gave them a hello. "Hey, Sans."

"(Hi, Sans)."

"Hello again, Sans."

"H-heya, Sansyyy…"

He chuckled and moved over to the counter. "Hey, Sans," the bird said, "weren't you here just an hour ago?"

"huh? nah, I don't remember being here an hour ago," Sans said.

"I swear I saw you come in and order tater tots to go," she replied.

"oh, that," Sans said. He lowered his head and chuckled. "what can i say? it was a dish fit for the _tots."_ He turned around to face Frisk, shrugged, and winked as a rimshot sounded off out of nowhere. Where the other Monsters chuckled or otherwise shook their heads and groaned, Frisk laughed. "heh. alright, enough messin' around, let's eat." Sans walked over to the counter and hopped up on a stool. "c'mere and get comfy, frisk."

Frisk walked over, but before he jumped on the stool, he reached under the cushion and pulled out a small pink bag and tossed it away. When he finally got up, he eyed Sans with a smug smile.

Sans' grin picked up a little but he didn't say anything other than, "so what'cha want?"

"Fries," Frisk replied.

"cool. hey, grillby, double order of fries, please," he called as he leaned over the counter.

The bartender nodded once, put down the glass he'd been cleaning, and disappeared into the kitchen. Sans leaned back and stretched, interlocking his fingers, cracking them, and yawning. "so…" he began, "what do you think of papyrus?"

Frisk looked over at him, away from the kitchen door he had been staring at and grinned himself. "Do you have to ask?"

"never hurts to be sure," Sans shrugged. He paused a moment before he said, "gotta say, though, wasn't expectin' you to pull the 'i'm not leaving' card. you must be serious about whatever it is you're after if you wanna stay here." Frisk's smile faded and he lowered his head until he was leaning both it and his arms on the counter, staring ahead blankly. Sans' normal grin flattened out a bit too, until he saw the kitchen door open. "hey, cheer up, kid. here comes the grub."

Frisk did pick his head up when the fries were set down, but his smile didn't come back. He shoveled several into his mouth before Sans took a ketchup bottle out of his jacket and held it up to Frisk, silently offering it. Frisk took an aside glance at him and shook his head, and Sans chuckled and said, "you're right. what the heck am i doing, offering you this? you always eat your fries plain."

They ate in silence after that. Sans didn't bother questioning him about Papyrus any more; it was, as Frisk implied earlier, a redundant question. Frisk was here, and had wasted no time in cementing himself as Papyrus' friend. Sans really didn't doubt he wasn't going to try and talk to everyone he needed to and bring all of them together as a new family, forged in the fires of adventure. But that left the question: would it last? Would Frisk let it be? He took an aside glance at Frisk. Most of the fries were gone, but he still seemed to be giving the wall in front of him the thousand-yard stare. What was he after…?

Suddenly, Frisk's eyes darted to his right and he turned his head to look at Sans. He was smiling, but his heart wasn't in it, as if trying not to show weakness. "I'm warning you, it's a _really_ long story," Frisk said quietly, as if he had been reading Sans' mind.

He was surprised for a moment, but eventually Sans closed his eyes and shrugged. "can't be much worse than the one about alien life i read once," he said.

"Oh, really…?" Frisk asked as his lips curled into a smile, despite himself.

"Yeah, it went on for a _lightyear,"_ Sans finished.

Frisk punched Sans in the shoulder and exclaimed, "That wasn't a pun! That wasn't even a good joke!"

"but you're laughing, ain'cha?"

"Shut up!"

Frisk's giggles died down after awhile, and he went back to eating his fries. The smile died with it too, though, and Sans arbitrarily decided to eat a little bit and he took a sip of his ketchup.

"...Sans?"

He glanced up from his food. Frisk had finished his fries, but his hands were clasped tight and his arms were extended across the countertop. He was staring down at his sleeves and wouldn't meet Sans' gaze. "Can you do that thing?" He only quirked an eyebrow until Frisk mentioned. "Th-the... _click_ thing…?"

His eyes widened a bit but Sans closed his eyes anyway.

 _CLICK_

Like the lights had been shut off.

Frisk opened his eyes to see everything outside a globe around him and Sans had been blackened and desaturated, and it wasn't moving, even the flames on Grillby's head. He sighed and turned to Sans, who was facing him fully now, his right arm on the counter and his expression was...uncharacteristically somber. "frisk," he muttered, "i'm not gonna force ya. if this is a sore subject for you, then don't-"

"No, Sans," Frisk interrupted. The silence weighed heavy for a moment before Frisk continued, "I...I think it's best if I got this off my chest…" He looked around for a moment before he asked, "How long do you think your magic will let you keep doing...y'know, whatever _that_ is?" motioning to the globe around them.

Sans scoffed. "you kiddin', kid? i could do this all day." Frisk glared at him after a moment.

 _man, he knows me too well by now,_ Sans thought. "i'll let you know when i have to take 'er down," he admitted.

Frisk continued staring at him until he sighed and turned back to lean his whole upper body over the counter. "Well…"

* * *

⸢ ⸣

Frisk found he enjoyed the dump. Not the prettiest place in Waterfall, but it was more about the adventure of finding new things over the looks. Also, getting roped into an impromptu date was pretty funny in hindsight, if not utterly bizarre. He watched Undyne leave to chase after Papyrus and Alphys, before gingerly hopping off the pile of junk he'd taken to sitting on, and walked toward where Napstablook's house was. He sighed, considering the long trek ahead back to New Home and Asgore's castle. He just hoped he didn't have to hear that story again.

 _Ring…!_

He was surprised, however, to hear his phone going off, but all the same, he really didn't have anything better to do other than answer it. He brought it off the chain and held up the receiver. "HOWDY!"

Frisk's eyes widened and he brought the phone away from his ear in shock. That was Papyrus...using Asgore's standard greeting? Weird. He quickly brought the phone back to his ear to hear the message. "IF IT ISN'T MY GOOD FRIEND, WHO TRUSTS ME. THIS IS PAPYRUS. ALSO YOUR MUTUAL FRIEND." Frisk scowled, though mostly out of concern. "ALPHYS AND I FINISHED OUR TRAINING EARLY. VERY EARLY. SO I SENT HER HOME. VERY HOME."

This was the most disjointed Papyrus had ever sounded, and he'd never sounded this bad before. "UH...NOW," he continued, "I FEEL STRONGLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON, YOU SHOULD ALSO GO...THERE. TO HER. LAB...HOUSE."

Frisk looked at the phone again. He felt like he was missing something. "I HAVE ONLY GOOD FEELINGS ABOUT THIS. GOODBYE."

 _Click…_

He kept staring at the phone for awhile longer before attaching it to the chain on his waist again. _Sounded like someone was feeding him lines off a fucking cue card,_ Frisk thought. He pursed his lips, but kept walking until he was out of the dump and well on his way to the Riverperson. He didn't _want_ to go back to Alphys' lab, considering what Papyrus had said...but at the same time, fighting Asgore appealed to him less.

 _And really,_ he thought, _what's the worst that could happen?_

* * *

The lab doors slid open and Frisk was greeted with the same sterile smell and buzzing fluorescent lights he remembered from before. The lab looked no different.

Except Alphys was nowhere in sight.

Frisk stepped inside and crossed the main room. He was tempted to call Alphys' name before he noticed something on the floor nearby where Mettaton had made his mark in the wall, and…

And the restroom door was open, but there was nothing beyond it save for a small room that had buttons in the back. It looked more like…

 _An elevator?_ Frisk stared at the room for another moment before he picked up the note and tried to read it, though the writing was either smudged or looked like it had been made with very shaky hands.

"Hey. Thanks for your help back there. You guys...your support really means a lot to me. But...as difficult as it is to say this...you guys alone can't magically make my problems go away." Frisk gulped and glanced up at the open door before continuing on. "I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes."

Frisk's eyes widened. _Mistakes…?_

"I want to start doing that now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again...if you want to know 'the truth…' Enter the door to the north of this note. You all at least deserve to know what I did."

That's all she wrote.

Frisk kept staring at the paper. Mistakes? How could Alphys have made a mistake? She was a bit nerdy, but what kind of blunder warranted a note like this? He looked from the note to the door. _"This isn't anyone else's problem but mine?"_ he repeated in his mind. He glanced back down at the note again before unceremoniously tossing it away and marching into the elevator.

 _Like hell it is._

He looked over the control panel, and found none of the buttons worked, save for a red one in the bottom-right corner. When he pressed it, he felt the elevator start moving down, and he walked over to leaned up against the wall. It was a smooth ride, for all of ten seconds. Then the alarms started blaring.

 _WARNING! WARNING! ELEVATOR LOSING POWER!_

Frisk, who was by now standing in the middle of the elevator crouched and ready to jump at the drop of a hat, looked up at where the broadcast was coming from. He felt the elevator moving faster. _Losing power? Are you fucking kidding me?_

 _EM TETHER STABILITY LOST!_

" _EM Tether?"_ Frisk's mind was racing. _What the hell's an "EM Tether…?"_ The elevator shook once and Frisk stumbled forward, dropping to his hands and knees. _Oh God oh God oh God, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'mgonnadie…_

 _ALTITUDE DROPPING!_

The elevator was screaming downward, falling farther than anything Frisk originally thought possible The screeching noises coming from outside were growing louder, the lights were shorting out.

Then there was one final screech, an explosion, and a white light. Then, everything was still.

* * *

Frisk had no idea how long he'd been out cold, but when he came around, he was still in the elevator, lying face down on the floor. No lights were flashing. No sirens were blaring. The only evidence any damage had been done was the face that the elevator roof had caved slightly and the doors were stuck halfway open, letting pale blue light leak in from the hallway; that being said, it was still unnaturally dark, and as Frisk lifted himself up and got a clearer view of the outside, he saw that whatever room he was in looked...grimy.

 _Eww._ He hesitantly stepped out of the elevator and looked around. Grimy, as mentioned, but also stale air that smelled horrible. And it was quiet...very quiet. Frisk took one last glance around before he made his way down the hall. He only got a few feet before a monitor on his left flashed to life, scaring him enough to jump back and hit the wall behind him.

After realizing he wasn't in any real danger, he got up, dusted himself off, and thought, _Asshole,_ to himself before taking a closer look at the screen. Upon closer inspection, he found it was a research log.

"ENTRY NUMBER 1: This is it…" it said, "Time to do what the king has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL."

 _Hmm. Vague_ and _threatening. Perfect!_ Frisk thought. He kept walking until another monitor lit up a few feet ahead. He studied that one, too. "ENTRY NUMBER 2: The Barrier is locked by SOUL power. Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now…" Frisk's eyes furrowed as he read the last sentence: "The SOULs of Monsters."

He kept staring at the screen, and shook his head after a moment. _This is startin' to sound like a slasher film,_ he thought. He passed the next monitor and skimmed it, but when he got to the fifth, his hair stood on end.

"ENTRY NUMBER 5: I've done it," it read. "Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe this what gives their SOULs the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living...The resolve to change fate. Let's call this power…"

" _Determination."_

The pieces were clicking into place. None of them bode well. Frisk felt a chill rush up his spine before he shook it off and kept walking until he reached a room with two doors, one in the center, one to the right, and a hall that led left. He felt heat surge through him; the determination to press forward. He went to the left, and walked down the corridor until he found a monitor. The research log contained on it made him jittery, so he kept moving. He then found a room with three operating tables, three sinks, and a monitor. Reading the log on _that_ made his anxiety _worse._

That alone was unnerving enough, but when Frisk got closer, he noticed the tables were shiny. As if they were wet and slick with...something. He looked closer and found that there was indeed something on the tables. He touched it with the very tip of his finger. It felt smooth and rubbery. _Some sort of...residue…?_ he thought. He rubbed his fingers together to try and place what it was, but he couldn't. Frisk sighed and went into the next room and found it was surprisingly small, with a red switch on the back wall and a note on the floor.

He immediately walked over to the note. It was faded and damp, so he could barely make out what writing was still there. "drain...dropped it…" Something about a drain? Frisk twisted his face into a pensive look. The only drain he could think of were the three sinks in the other room. He supposed it couldn't hurt to try. Frisk went back and walked up to the sink on the far left and looked at the drain; he didn't see anything red. Not much luck with the sink in the middle. He checked the sink on the far left. He didn't see anything red, but…

The drain was covered in the same film on the operating tables. He brought up his hand and touched it again, and shook his head. It was so weird; he just couldn't place it.

Then he saw something, and looked up. The film was spreading, across the drain, across the sink. And then…

And then some _thing_ came out. It was writhing, twisting in on itself, and it smelled _putrid._ It was...a mess. A mess of eyes and faces. Frisk stumbled back and wanted to scream, but his throat was hoarse and dry from disuse. It continued to wriggle, to contort, to melt back into itself, until it finally came apart at the seams.

Except it didn't. What it actually was doing was splitting itself into three round organisms that were still a mess of mouths and eyes.

drew near!

Frisk became confined to the room. He felt it in his SOUL, and he was still shaking.

 _Oh God oh God oh God…_ He was mortified to find he could only use ITEM, STAT, or CELL as his ACTs. Still, he CHECKed the first monster on the left.

No data available.

 _Ohgod ohgod ohgod ohgod ohgod…_

His thoughts were interrupted by static, coming from all three monsters. Combined, they were rather loud, and Frisk had to cover his ears...before he realized how they were attacking him. Little dots appeared around his SOUL, and while he instinctively got out of the way, he wasn't ready for them to expand into a nightmare face glaring him down with glee. He danced madly around the room, trying not to get hit, which only worked _some_ of the time. When it was over, he stopped again. Frisk tried to ACT again.

He looked over his options and arbitrarily chose CELL and pulled out his phone. He froze in mild horror when he could hear voices.

"Come join the fun."

"Lorem ipsum docet."

"Become one of us!"

More dots began appearing and this time Frisk was better at avoiding them...most of them, at least. After the last face disappeared, he looked back at his phone and shook his head violently. To his surprise, the monster responded:

"Be seeing you."

"That's a shame."

"Oh, well."

The doesn't want to FIGHT anymore.

Frisk was still frozen in mild shock before he came back to his senses and held out his arms to spare them. They accepted...at least, he thought they did. He didn't know if suddenly reforming and scurrying into the drain of another sink was a true acceptance of MERCY, but they were out of his hair either way, so...small victories.

Then, he noticed something in the sink the monster had risen up from. It was small and glinted red in the dim pale light and Frisk wasted no time in reaching in and picking it up. It was a red key.

Despite the shock he was still trying to overcome, Frisk smiled and hooked the key to his phone. At least he knew what to look for now. He left the room and went back to the first room, regaining his vitality and going so far as to buy a bag of…

He stopped short and read the label on the bag. "Popato Chisps." He reread it, snorted, and tried not to laugh before pocketing the bag. Someone must've been fired for that.

Frisk entered the door on the far right of the room and was greeted with another hallway that led further right, complete with two monitors, which he read. He didn't like either of them. "ENTRY NUMBER 12: nothing is happening. i don't know what to do. i'll just keep injecting everything with 'determination.' i want this to work." Frisk shuddered and moved on. He felt another chill run up his spine when he read the next entry:

"ENTRY NUMBER 13: one of the bodies opened its eyes."

Frisk didn't linger in that spot for long.

He hurried into the next room and found nine beds. Nine whole beds, just left there in rows of three. His eyes widened and he swallowed _hard._ There used to be _bodies_ in here. He made his way through the rows of beds and noticed something strange: two of them had a different look to their sheets. On the lower left, the sheets had been brought to the bottom of the bed as if someone had kicked them off before getting up. On the other, the blankets were drawn across the whole of it, pillow included. He decided to check the one almost completely covered up; he couldn't see anything on the bare bed anyway, and when he got around to it, the first thing he did was rip the sheets off.

His curiosity was rewarded with a yellow key sticking out from under the pillow. He hooked it on his phone's chain. Then he noticed the monitor in the corner. In spite of all good sense and judgement, he walked over and read it. "ENTRY NUMBER 14: Everyone that had fallen down...has woken up. They're all walking around and talking as if nothing is wrong. I thought they were goners…?" Frisk slowly peeled his eyes away and turned his head hesitantly around to look at the empty, mist-covered sick room. More things were falling into place, and faster.

And none of it looked particularly good.

* * *

Frisk entered the last room and saw some sort of generator installed on the far wall. He grimaced. He wasn't mechanically inclined at all, but then again, considering he'd befriended an egotistical skeleton, an overly-violent mermaid, participated in a life-or-death game show run by a glam-rock robot, and saw a _dog_ absorb a red ball for no good rhyme or reason, he figured some mechanical engineering shouldn't be _too_ bad.

 _And anyway,_ he thought as he approached it, _blowing up still gives me something to do. And it'd be an_ epic _way to die._ When he got to the generator itself, he actually found, to his relief, that there was an easy switch to get the power up and running again; so of course he turned it on.

Once he did, he heard something that froze his blood in his veins. A howl. No, multiple howls. All of them close. All of them coming from right outside the room.

He whirled around to see them. All the Amalgamates he'd faced before had come into the room, looking for him. He should have figured they wouldn't be done with him yet.

 _But why…?_ he thought as they all began closing in, gurgling and jabbering to themselves. _I thought I'd helped them…_

"Hey! Stop!"

Now _there_ was a voice Frisk thought he'd never hear again. It sounded like Alphys, but stronger, more confident, and sure enough, she appeared in the entrance to the generator room. "I got you some food, okay!?" she was smiling, but it looked like she was only doing it to keep her fear in check. The Amalgamates all looked at her for a moment, then to each other, and then slowly, they all filed/oozed out of the room, still muttering things that didn't make sense. After they were gone, Alphys sighed and walked up to Frisk. "Sorry about that," she said. "They get kind of sassy when they don't get fed on time." Frisk sighed in relief.

"I think they smelled the potato chips you had and...Anyway!" she stated, "The power went out, and I've been trying to turn it back on!" She looked around and added, "But it seems you were one step ahead of me." Frisk couldn't help but smile with pride at that. "This was probably a big inconvenience for you...b-but I appreciate that you came here to back me up!"

 _Because that's what friends do,_ he thought with a serene smile.

"As I said, I was afraid I might...not come back," Alphys continued solemnly. "But that's not because of these guys or anything! I was just worried I would be too afraid...to tell the truth." She stared down at her feet for a moment before she picked her head back up. "That I might run away and do something...cowardly."

Frisk cocked his head to the side. He didn't know what she meant exactly for a moment, but it dawned on him quickly. He winced; he had no idea Alphys' self-esteem was _that_ low. He started to wonder what would've happened if he had never hooked her up with Undyne, or if he'd never even fallen into the Underground in the first place. "Uh...I...I suppose I owe you an explanation," she said. "As you probably know, ASGORE asked me to study the nature of SOULs. During my research, I isolated a power called 'determination.' I injected it into dying Monsters so their SOULs would persist after death. But the experiment failed. You see, unlike humans, Monsters' bodies don't have enough...physical matter to take those concentrations of 'determination.' Their bodies started to melt, and lost what physicality they had. Pretty soon, all of the test subjects had melted together into... _those._ Seeing them like this I knew...I couldn't tell their families about it. I couldn't tell _anyone_ about it. No matter how much anyone was asking me. And I was too afraid to do anymore work, knowing...everything I'd done so far had been such a horrible failure. But now…" She took a breath and continued, "Now, I've changed my mind about all this. I'm going to tell everyone what I've done."

She paused. "It's going to be hard. Being honest...believing in myself...I'm sure there will be times where I'll struggle. I'm sure there will be times I screw up again. But knowing, deep down, that I've got friends to fall back on…" Her faced picked up and she smiled, something genuine, something brave. "I know it'll be a lost easier to stand on my own. Thank you." Suddenly, there was sound of burbling from the door and a couple of the Amalgamates slunk into the room. Alphys only looked at them and smiled. "Come on guys," she said, "it's time for everyone to go home."

She led the Amalgamates out of the room. Back to society. Back to family. Frisk thought it was touching, sure, but having eight Monsters-in-one as a new sibling? Or child? Or parent? It was kind of weird.

Also kind of awesome, but mostly weird. Even for the Underground.

Either way, he had places to be, and there was no avoiding it. He had to fight the king now, and go beyond the known boundaries of the world again. Probably just to get stuck in the same placeless place he found at the end of his first run. _Well,_ he thought, _if that's what happens, I'll come back. This place is more fun anyway. Weird, but fun._ He left the room and turned the corner, feeling pretty good about himself until one of the monitors he passed on the way in lit up red.

Frisk stopped and looked over, and he felt his face grow significantly more pale and cold. The screen didn't have writing taking up the whole thing; there was a simplistic smiley-face there instead, and it felt hauntingly familiar. There _was_ a research log, though, at the bottom of the screen. Frisk read it over slowly, listening for sounds that implied he was going to get jumped by...well, something.

"ENTRY NUMBER 8: I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it. In the center of his garden, there's something special: the first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world."

Frisk blinked. _How could a_ flower _come from the_ outside…?

"It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder…what happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?"

Frisk's brow furrowed. _Oh. So she experimented on some flower where a Monster died._ Poignant, kind of tragic, but he didn't see the big deal. He pivoted and kept walking, until the second monitor lit up red. Frisk stopped. He didn't _want_ to read it...

And yet, curiosity proved to be his undoing, as ever. He rotated his head and read the text under the smiley-face.

"ENTRY NUMBER 18: the flower's gone."

There was never any physicality to that message. It was written on a screen. And yet, Frisk felt air get kicked out of his chest and he stumbled backward, into the wall, and crumpled to the floor. When he looked up, he saw a massive beast, arms made of thorns and blood-red claws, six petals of flesh surrounding unblinking eyes that surrounded a television monitor with a face that grinned down on him as it killed him over and over and over…

And before all that, he saw himself setting foot in Asgore's castle for the first time. The _very_ first time, and he called to mind the story. The story of how Monsters lost all hope.

And just as suddenly as the visions came to him, they passed, and Frisk found himself lying against the wall at an awkward angle, his hips and upper chest turned in two different directions. After blinking the stars out of his eyes, he turned himself over and picked himself up before dusting himself off and marching back into the elevator. Unfortunately, the surprises weren't over yet.

 _Ring…_

Frisk paused and picked up his phone.

"Chara...are you there?"

His eyes widened. He'd _never_ heard this voice before. Who the hell was calling him? "It's been a long time, hasn't it? But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place."

 _That's not worrying at_ all, Frisk thought.

"Chara...see you soon." The voice hung up. Frisk stared back at his phone for a moment.

 _I've been getting the weirdest calls today,_ he thought. He ended the call and put his phone back on his belt, but there was something still lingering in his mind; the voice was calm. Soft. Gentle. Almost dainty.

Whoever it was, they sounded...nice.

⸤ ⸥

* * *

"hey, frisk…?"

He whipped his head around to look at Sans. He looked like he was melting into his chair and his forehead was covered in sweat. "Sans...!"

All at once, the rest of Grillby's bar returned to its normal color and sheen and Sans gasped as he nearly fell off his seat. It was a good thing Frisk was there to catch him. Well, mostly. "Support" was probably a more accurate term. Either way, it did draw some attention.

"Sans? Oh, my God!"

"Honey! Sans looks like he's hurt!"

"(He is? Oh, no! What happened?)"

"Woah! What's goin' on?"

"Huh? S-Sans? Y'have one...one too m-m-many…?

"ARF!"

Frisk tried his best to keep him steady, and Sans slowly wobbled to his feet after he slid off and onto the floor. "th...thanks, frisk," he panted. "might've...overdone that one."

"Is it because you wanted to hear the _whole_ story?"

Sans chuckled weakly. "eh, what can I say? ya managed to hook me."

"You idiot," Frisk muttered as he held Sans up from under his right arm. "Can you walk?"

"yeah. sure," Sans replied nonchalantly. His voice was getting less shaky, and after another moment, he put more weight on his feet, lessening the stress Frisk had holding him up. He took a couple deep breaths and looked around at all the eyes now focused on him and Frisk. He turned around to look at Grillby, who had both hands on the counter; he looked ready to vault over it at a moment's notice.

"...you okay?" Grillby asked.

Sans smiled after a moment and gave him the thumbs up. Grillby seemed satisfied, as he relaxed and went back to cleaning out glasses while Sans turned to everyone else and declared, "sorry, fellas. stuffed too much into me at once and got a little light-headed."

Frisk hoped that excuse would suffice until he saw the monster with the big mouth, who was leaning over the back of his booth, exclaim, "Really, Sans? That's the third time this week!"

"well, what can i say?" Sans replied. He tapped his skull. "at the end of the day, i guess i'm just a _bonehead."_

Frisk stifled his laughter as Sans took a few steps forward before waiting and turning back to him. Frisk walked after him and they left Grillby's, and once they were outside, Frisk whispered, "You know, if you wanted to hear the whole thing, you could've asked us to move somewhere with less Monsters."

"yeah, but where?" Sans replied casually. "we're all crammed into the underground like sardines in a can."

"hey, listen…" Frisk stopped and turned back to Sans, who was busy wringing his hands. "i don't know any other way to tell you this, but, uh...what you got goin' here? it's really something special. so could you do me one last favor?"

Frisk blinked a couple times before he said, "I'm listening…"

Sans sighed. "i want you to shake things up. in a good way." He paused a moment as if considering his words before he continued, "when you get to waterfall, and hotland, and the CORE, and anywhere else...try to make more waves. do things differently, or out of order, or not at all, if it comes down to it. i need you to...well, throw reality for a loop, for lack of a better term."

Frisk furrowed his brow and asked, "'Throw it for a loop?' Why?"

Sans' grin widened a bit. "i'm gonna try somethin' i haven't done in awhile, and i think you're the key to pullin' it off correctly. well, maybe." He turned to leave before he stopped, as if he forgot something, and looked over his shoulder to mention, "we'll talk about it in the usual place, okay? you know what i mean."

Without another word, he walked away, past the mouse monster and the horned devil, and around the bend. Frisk didn't bother chasing him, and as he suspected, when he walked by that path, Sans was nowhere to be seen. He kept walking until he had come back to Papyrus' arena before he stopped, his eyes wide.

He stood like a deer in the headlights for a minute before he turned around and charged back toward Snowdin and hissed, "Oh, shoot, I'm gonna be late!"


	5. Good Time Trio Part 2

Good Time Trio Part 2

Frisk stumbled out of Grillby's clutching his stomach. _Fuck,_ _those fries tasted weird,_ he thought. He was glad to have some food in his system, but Monster food tasted...wrong. It tasted like _diet_ food; the fires were fries, but they didn't taste...correctly greasy, or salty. He coughed, feeling the aftertaste rise in his throat again as he trudged through the snow to Papyrus' house. To no one's surprise, he found the skeleton loitering around outside, and once he caught sight of Frisk, he perked up and grinned. Or, he grinned _wider._ It was hard to tell.

"SO YOU CAME BACK TO SEE ME!" Papyrus declared. "YOU MUST BE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS. I'LL HAVE TO TAKE YOU SOMEPLACE REALLY SPECIAL..." He trailed off. "A PLACE I LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME!" He then tore off up the main street and Frisk, momentarily taken aback, ran after him. They passed the librarby before Papyrus abruptly turned around and ran right back to the front door of his house. Frisk followed, thinking he was just going to loop back around in some direction. When he stopped, Frisk glared up at him incredulously. "MY HOUSE!"

 _So I just busted my lungs because you love dramatic effect so fucking much?_ he fumed silently. Papyrus quickly barged inside, followed by Frisk. The house itself was quaint and sparsely decorated; minimalistic, you could say. Frisk didn't see much worth looking at, except the rock on a table to his right. He went over to check it and Papyrus must have noticed. "THIS IS MY BROTHER'S PET ROCK. HE ALWAYS FORGETS TO FEED IT. AS USUAL, I HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY," he sighed.

The rock is covered in sprinkles.

Frisk raised his eyebrow, but didn't question it. He then checked the TV; maybe there was something on that would get him to think about something else and Papyrus to shut up. He walked over and turned it on. "OOH, IT'S MY FAVORITE GAME-SHOW!" The screen flickered to life to reveal a test pattern with the words, "Stay tuned for a new program. -MTT," onscreen.

Papyrus seemed indignant. "WHAT! IT'S USUALLY BETTER THAN THIS!" He glanced down at Frisk and continued, "THIS IS JUST A BAD EPISODE, DON'T JUDGE ME!"

Frisk flicked his head back to take a sideways glance at Papyrus, rolled his eyes and shook his head. Then he looked down to see a dirty sock with sticky note posted above it.

 _SANS! PLEASE PICK UP YOUR SOCK!_

 _ok._

 _DON'T PUT IT BACK DOWN! MOVE IT_

 _ok._

 _YOU MOVED IT TWO INCHES! MOVE IT TO YOUR ROOM!_

 _ok._

 _AND DON'T BRING IT BACK!_

 _ok._

 _IT'S STILL HERE!_

 _didn't you just say not to bring it back to my room?_

 _FORGET IT!_

Before he realized it, Frisk was laughing. Maybe this wasn't so bad. He took a glance up at the rafters and the two doors on the balcony above him before clambering up the stairs. When he approached the door closest to the left and in front of said stairs, Papyrus chimed in, "THAT'S MY ROOM! IF YOU'RE FINISHED LOOKING AROUND, WE COULD GO IN AND…'HANG OUT' LIKE A PAIR OF VERY COOL FRIENDS?"

Frisk glanced back down at Papyrus, and then back at the door. He sighed. It's not like he thought Papyrus was a dweeb, he was...actually kinda okay, but... _man,_ he was weird. Still, he figured as long as he was here, he may as well get it over with, and besides, when he said he thought Papyrus was uncool to Sans, he felt...vaguely threatened. Sans hadn't chastised him for it...in fact, he laughed it off. And that made him feel _more_ paranoid.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, and in the blink of an eye, Papyrus had launched himself up the stairs and into his room. It was square, with a door in the back that most likely led to the closet, and a racecar bed and a table with action figures on it. When Frisk saw them, his eyes widened, since he'd _never_ been able to have anything like that on the surface.

You try not to look **super** jealous.

"AH, YES. ACTION FIGURES," Papyrus said when he noticed Frisk looking at them. "A GREAT REFERENCE FOR THEORETICAL BATTLE SCENARIOS. HOW DO I HAVE SO MANY? WELL, LET'S JUST SAY THEY'RE FROM…" He scratched his chin before he eloquated, "A CHUBBY, SMILING MAN WHO LOVES TO SURPRISE PEOPLE." Frisk whipped his head around to stare at Papyrus. "YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT!" he exclaimed, "SANTA!"

...You failed.

Frisk's jaw dropped. He expected Sans, yes, but still, he _never_ got presents on Christmas; nobody really knew him. He then looked over at, and subsequently pointed to, the racecar bed. "THAT'S MY BED! IF I EVER GET TO THE SURFACE...I'D LIKE TO DRIVE DOWN A LONG HIGHWAY," he explained, "WIND IN MY HAIR…"

 _Hair…?_

"SUN ON MY SKIN…"

 _Skin…?_

"OF COURSE, THAT'S JUST A DREAM. SO INSTEAD, I CRUISE WHILE I SNOOZE." He paused a moment and added, "WHY ARE YOU SO INTERESTED IN MY BED? ARE YOU TIRED?"

Frisk hadn't really thought of that before. He scratched his chin and thought. Last time he actually slept was back in the Ruins…

He shook his head and chased those thoughts away. He had a job to do; get back to the surface. Get back home. He approached Papyrus and stared up at him.

"SO, UM…" he said, "IF YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING...DO YOU WANT TO START HANGING OUT?" Frisk looked around. He didn't really think he _needed_ any more explanation, so he nodded once. Papyrus's face lit up. "OKAY! LET'S HANG TEN!" Frisk shook his head, but before he could do anything, he felt the world around him shift. It felt like he'd gone into battle. _Oh, God, what's going on?_

He then saw the words, "HANGOUT START!" appear in front of him. He grimaced and looked back up at Papyrus. He wondered if _he_ could see it, too. Well, he'd probably say so if he did.

"HERE WE ARE! HANGING OUT!" Papyrus said. He paused, and after a minute, added, "I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY DONE THIS BEFORE."

Frisk scoffed to himself. _Coulda fooled me._

"BUT DON'T WORRY! YOU CAN'T SPELL 'PREPARED' WITHOUT SEVERAL LETTERS FROM MY NAME!" Papyrus reached behind him and pulled out a small handbook. "I SNAGGED AN OFFICIAL HANGOUT GUIDEBOOK FROM THE LIBRARY!" Frisk quirked his head in surprise. He didn't even think the Underground _had_ something like that in the first place. But then again, he could reload time on a whim and the Underground also had two skeletons running around trying to snag fallen humans, so really, what _wouldn't_ there be down here? "WE'RE READY TO HAVE A GREAT TIME!"

Papyrus cracked the book open and began reading. "STEP ONE...PRESS THE [C] KEY ON YOUR KEYBOARD FOR 'FRIENDSHIP HUD.'" Frisk scrunched his face up in confusion. _Why the hell does a guidebook for friendship need me to press a fucking computer key?_ he wondered. _I don't even_ have _a keyboard!_ He glanced up, then down, then everywhere else and arbitrarily waved his left hand in an arc from fright to left.

Out of nowhere, everal meters and UI icons moved into place in front of Frisk's eyes and he nearly fell backward. _Oh, my God, there's so much shit!_ he cried internally. _Wait, what the hell does 'Reel it in!' mean? Why do I need to know the population level? How is there crime down here? Is that the freaking_ dog _I saw earlier…?_

"WOWIE! I FEEL SO INFORMED!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I THINK WE'RE READY FOR STEP TWO!"

Frisk stared at him, dumbfounded. He must not be seeing all this. _This might have been a horrible mistake,_ he thought again.

"STEP TWO...ASK THEM TO HANG OUT." Papyrus brought the book down and cleared his throat. _"AHEM!_ HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS…WILL HANG OUT WITH YOU!" Frisk looked him up and down for a second before he sighed and nodded.

As usual, he was ecstatic. "R-REALLY? WOWIE!" he cried, his cheeks flushing. "I GUESS THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR PART THREE!" He pulled the book out again and read aloud, "STEP THREE...PUT ON NICE CLOTHES TO SHOW YOU CARE," but he stopped talking for a moment. He eyed Frisk from behind the book and said, "WAIT A SECOND. 'WEAR CLOTHING…'"

Frisk started glancing around uncomfortably. "THAT BANDAGE HANGING OFF OF YOU…" Frisk froze.

 _This was a horrible mistake._

"YOU'RE WEARING CLOTHING RIGHT NOW!"

Frisk slapped his forehead. _Of_ all _the things he could point out…_

"NOT ONLY THAT…" Papyrus continued, "EARLIER TODAY, YOU WERE _ALSO_ WEARING CLOTHING!" He clapped his hands to his cheeks and exclaimed, "NO...COULD IT BE?" He raised his hand and pointed at Frisk dramatically.

"YOU'VE WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH ME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!?"

Frisk didn't even have time to think about _why_ that statement was dumb. He just shook his head violently. Papyrus' eyes widened to comical proportions before they went back to normal and he shiftily looked off to the side. "DESPITE THAT, YOU CHOSE TO WEAR CLOTHING TODAY, OF ALL DAYS...?"

Frisk squeezed his eyes shut and held up his arms in a manner that allowed to express "What kind of insane logic led you to say that?" without speaking a word. "WAS YOUR FRIENDSHIP…" Papyrus covered his face with his hands as he cried, _"PREDESTINED!?"_ He suddenly recoiled as if he'd been hit, and cried again, "N-NOOOO! YOUR FRIENDSHIP POWER!"

Frisk then saw a small meter appear over Papyrus' head, labeled..."Friendship." He didn't know what he expected, up until he saw it fill up approximately one-fifth of the way and it disappeared. "NYEH!" He looked back down at Papyrus, probably still reeling from...whatever that was, he guessed. "NYEH-HEH-HEH!" A new meter appeared to the left that read "Tension."

"DON'T THINK YOU'VE BESTED ME YET!" he said "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS...HAVE NEVER BEEN BEATEN AT HANGING OUT, AND I NEVER WILL!"

Frisk shook his head. He was hanging out to make friends. With a skeleton. That he just met. Because said skeleton wanted to capture him. And take him to a king. That would take his SOUL. This was ridiculous.

So ridiculous, in fact, that Frisk...found himself grinning like a nutjob. "I CAN _EASILY_ KEEP UP WITH YOU!" Papyrus continued. "YOU SEE, I, TOO, CAN WEAR CLOTHING!" He paused, most likely for dramatic effect, before he said, "IN FACT...I ALWAYS WEAR MY _SPECIAL_ CLOTHES UNDERNEATH MY REGULAR CLOTHES! BEHOLD!"

Before Frisk could object to Papyrus changing right in front of him (and giggling while doing so), he slid off to the right and almost immediately reappeared wearing…

Frisk nearly lost his lunch; not because what Papyrus was wearing was _ugly,_ in fact, Frisk thought it was _hilarious._ A tank top that had "Cool Dude" printed on it, polyester shorts, knee-high socks, tennis shoes, basketball shoulder-guards, and a backwards baseball cap? Utterly ridiculous. Frisk thought he might throw up because he was trying so hard to keep it all in and not hurt Papyrus' feelings.

"NYEH! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY _SECRET STYLE!?"_

He gave up and started laughing hysterically, even though he was certain Papyrus might cry because of it, but he just _couldn't_ hold it in any longer. "NO!" Papyrus' eyes went screwy again as he cried, "A GENUINE COMPLIMENT…!"

Papyrus shook again and Frisk, in between burst of laughter, saw the Friendship Bar fill up to almost a quarter of the way full. Papyrus was looking at it too, he guessed, and after a moment, he looked back down. "HOWEVER..." he muttered, "YOU DON'T TRULY UNDERSTAND THE _HIDDEN POWER_ OF THIS OUTFIT!" Frisk was about to ask what the hell Papyrus was on about before he interrupted, "THEREFORE...WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS INVALID! tHIS HANG-OUT WON'T ESCALATE ANY FURTHER...UNLESS YOU FIND MY _SECRET!"_

Frisk furrowed his brow. The mature, sensible adult in him wanted to believe it was something worthwhile. His thirteen-year-old brain led him to believe it was a penis joke. He continued staring at Papyrus, wondering, _If i were a highly naive skeleton, where would I hide something on this stupid-ass outfit?_ After a moment, he pointed to Papyrus' shirt.

"THIS SHIRT DIDN'T ORIGINALLY SAY 'COOL,' BUT I IMPROVED IT," Papyrus responded, "EXPERT TIP: ALL CLOTHING ARTICLES CAN BE IMPROVED THIS WAY."

Frisk snapped his fingers. _Fuck, thought I had that,_ he thought. He took another few seconds to think before he pointed to his hat.

Papyrus looked away. "MY HAT…?" he said. He looked down at the floor. "MY HAT." He then looked back up at Frisk with a smile all over his face. "MY HAT! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Frisk then watched, half in amazement, half in horror, as Papyrus' hat lifted itself up off his head to reveal a present underneath. "W-WELL THEN...YOU FOUND MY SECRET! I SUPPOSE I HAVE NO CHOICE," he said, "IT'S A PRESENT…A PRESENT J-JUST FOR YOU!"

His eyes widened. Frisk had no idea where Papyrus got a present from so fast, but presents are awesome, as anyone who's not dead and buried will tell you. Papyrus reached up and unwrapped it himself, all without letting it tip and fall off his cranium. Frisk could just imagine what was inside it; maybe it was an action figure like the ones Papyrus had on his table! It'd be a cool souvenir for when he got home. However, Frisk's smile waned when the wrapping paper fell off. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?" he asked at the end of it all.

Frisk only squinted. The look of utter betrayal could bore through lead. "'SPAGHETTI,'" Papyrus said, "THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, ISN'T IT? RIGHT!" He paused a moment before he grinned wider and corrected, "BUT OH-SO WRONG!"

 _...That's clearly spaghetti,_ Frisk thought.

"THIS AIN'T ANY PLAIN OL' PASTA! THIS IS AN ARTISAN'S WORK!" he decreed, "SILKEN SPAGHETTI, FINELY AGED IN AN OAK CASK…" Frisk squinted. How does one even _age_ spaghetti in an oak _cask,_ of all things? "THEN COOKED BY ME, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS! HUMAN!" he challenged, "IT'S TIME TO END THIS! THERE'S NO WAY THIS CAN GO ANY FURTHER!"

He seemed to be offering the spaghetti to Frisk, and although Frisk was...well, "sorely disappointed" didn't even _begin_ to cover it, but Frisk at least knew he wa a guest, and he should be gracious back to the host. Even if the host was severely off-kilter and constantly stuck in his own little world. He approached, and reached upto take the spaghetti from Papyrus' head (a monumental task in and of itself), and looked it over. It was a normal plate of spaghetti, or at least, it looked like. He looked back up at Papyrus...and slowly put a forkful in his mouth.

His eyes shot open. It actually _was_ silky, still warm, and the marinara sauce wasn't thin as water, but not chunky, either. It was...good?

 _Indescribably_ good.

"WHAT A PASSIONATE EXPRESSION! YOU MUST REALLY LOVE MY COOKING…" Papyrus took a deep breath. "AND BY EXTENSION, ME! MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN _I_ DO!" He suddenly recoiled again, and then again, as he grunted. Frisk shot his gaze up at the Friendship Bar. It was filling up! He'd done it! "NOOOOOOOOO!"

It seemed he'd done _such_ a good job that the Friendship bar was overfilling and going straight across his field of vision as he whited out. "HUMAN. IT'S CLEAR NOW," he heard Papyrus say. He sounded...uncharacteristically calm. "YOU'RE COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH ME." Frisk almost laughed out loud again, despite being in such an odd state of being. "EVERYTHING YOU DO. EVERYTHING YOU SAY. IT'S ALL BEEN FOR MY SAKE," he continued, "HUMAN, I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY, TOO. IT'S TIME FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS. IT'S TIME THAT I TOLD YOU. I, PAPYRUS…"

When his vision was restored, Frisk was surprised to see Papyrus still standing where he had been. He was looking away. "HMM...WELL, I'M FLATTERED YOU CARE SO MUCH," he said, "BUT MAYBE COOL IT A LITTLE BIT…?"

Frisk's jaw dropped. Papyrus didn't seem to notice. "YOU ARE A VERY NICE PERSON. I'M GLAD WE'RE FRIENDS. BUT, IT THINK YOU CAN REACH YOUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL...IF YOU LIVE MORE FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, RATHER THAN JUST FOR MINE." He paused again and thought for a moment. "HMMM...HEY, I KNOW THE SOLUTION! YOU SHOULD HANG OUT WITH MY BOSS, UNDYNE! I THINK IF YOU SPREAD YOUR FRIEND-ENERGY OUT MORE, YOU'LL HAVE A MORE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE."

Frisk couldn't tell whether he should be insulted or grinning. This was so off-the-wall, he was sure that _nothing_ could top it. "YEAH! LET'S BE FRIENDS WITH UNDYNE! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" He immediately slid away again, in defiance of all laws of physics. Frisk was about to leave the house, too, before he suddenly came back and added, "OH, AND IF YOU EVER NEED TO REACH ME...HERE'S MY PHONE NUMBER." He handed a slip of paper to Frisk and said, "YOU CAN CALL ME ANYTIME!" He paused and quickly added again, "PLATONICALLY. WELL, GOTTA GO! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" before he bolted out the door, leaving Frisk alone for a few minutes while he tried to process all the craziness that just happened right in front of his eyes.

After another minute of looking around, Frisk got up and left Papyrus' room, his house, and started trekking his original path out of Snowdin before he allowed Sans to rope him into a conversation, though truth be told, Waterfall kind of scared him based on what he'd seen.

As he passed Papyrus' arena for what was now the second time, he couldn't help but look around and thought about the battle itself.

 _Maybe I should've tried flirting with him instead._

* * *

Frisk shook the water out of his socks after he crossed the waterfall and shivered as he pressed on. This place was not an enjoyable experience. He thought for a moment and silently recanted; Waterfall was not a pleasant experience. So far, he was actually having fun...sort of. Waterfall though…

He looked up at the obsidian rocks on the ceiling of the caves, the silt and clay in the walls and the ground and shivered. Something just felt... _wrong_ about this place, he didn't know why, and he couldn't shake the feeling. The air he breathed felt _lighter_ than air, the ground either caved under his heels or remained too solid to be considered sandy, and he could swear he heard things other than voices echoing throughout the caverns.

This place just rubbed him the wrong way.

He walked on until he came to a small riverbank with reeds growing along the edge and since he wasn't nearly tall or athletic enough to get up to the higher ledge he could see above, he was forced to walk through the grass. He just hoped he wouldn't stumble into a Monster and have to FIGHT them. He was okay until he heard Papyrus' voice, and before he could think of _why_ he was here, he heard him say, "H...HI, UNDYNE! I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT...UHHH...REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…"

Frisk heard him trail off. If Undyne was talking to him, it was too low for him to hear. "...HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM?" he repeated. "YES! OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!" He went silent again. When he spoke next his voice was filled with uncertainty. "...WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM…? W-W-WELL...NO."

His eyes widened. Papyrus was taking the fall for him? Frisk felt his breath hitch and his heart skip a beat, not because Papyrus cared, no...he was terrified about what Undyne was going to do to him; if _Papyrus_ was afraid, Frisk was certain an encounter with her meant certain, excruciating death. "I TRIED VERY HARD UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END...I FAILED," he admitted solemnly. "...W-WHAT? YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF...?" He faltered a moment before he began again, "BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON'T H-HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE…"

He trailed off. "YOU SEE…"

His silence was longer this time. Frisk could _feel_ Undyne giving him the death glare.

"...I UNDERSTAND," he said at last. "I'LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN." Frisk heard boots thumping against the silty ground and get weaker and weaker until they disappeared altogether. He was about to sigh in relief when he heard something rustle close by.

He heard thunder. No, wait. It was Undyne's footsteps. He looked up to see an armored helmet peeking over the edge of the cliff above and his eyes widened, he ducked down slightly, and didn't dare even flinch.

 _Especially_ when he saw the turquoise spear that Undyne materialized in her hand.

Frisk clenched every muscle in his body, even the ones he didn't know he had. Undyne scanned the reeds. She knew. She _knew_ there was someone here. He felt his breathing slow, thought to him, it sounded louder. His own heartbeat threatened to betray him. Undyne didn't budge, only sweeping her head to look left.

 _Please leave please leave please leave please leave,_ Frisk repeated in his head. Undyne couldn't hear him, of course, but it was the thought that counted. The minutes ticked on into what felt like forever before he saw Undyne stand back up and the spear in her hand vanished into thin air. Then her form disappeared from sight on top of the cliff and he heard the thunder in her boots fade away. He could finally breathe without worrying that she'd pick up on it and jump him. He turned and made his way out of the reeds, slowly at first, as he flushed the shock and adrenaline from his system, but once he was out, he heard another set of footsteps, small and petite, right behind him. No way it was Undyne, but he still jumped just the same, and turned to see the armless kid he'd met in Snowdin. He hopped around a bit, looking up from the cliff then back down to Frisk before he exclaimed, "Yo...did you _see_ the way she was looking at you...?"

Frisk rolled his eyes. _Yeah, don't remind me._

"That...was **awesome!"** he cried. "I'm **soooo** jealous!"

 _Glad someone is,_ he thought again. _I think I nearly crapped my pants!_

"What'd you do to get her attention?" he chuckled. "C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" He paused a second to catch his breath before he ran forward and quickly tripped and fell into the silt; he just as quickly picked himself back up off the ground and kept running as if nothing happened. Frisk had to admit, pulling yourself up using only your legs and upper body was pretty impressive.

He took a few steps forward before he felt that odd feeling coat him again, and he looked around to see the shining star that meant he could rest easy if something bad were to happen. He breathed and let all his aches go away before he set his face like stone and pushed on. He had to hop through a rather small room with plants that didn't look like they'd support his weight, but he got through, and was greeted with a small clearing in the middle of walls of stone that had two bodies of water in it, and more bridge seeds. He immediately gathered all of them up and sent them floating along the lowest edge of the first pond, since he saw a sign there. Frisk traipsed across them to read it.

"Congratulations!" it read. "You failed the puzzle!"

Frisk scowled. It wasn't the fact he'd wasted his time reading something useless that made him upset, it was the fact it sounded so _condescending._ He shook with anger all the way back to the Bell Blossom and recalled the bridge seeds before setting them up correctly this time, at the north end of the area. He crossed them easily and was about to continue forward when he heard his phone ring.

He immediately picked it up and answered the call. "HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!" Frisk's eyes widened in surprise and as if on cue, Papyrus continued, "HOW DID I GET THIS NUMBER…? IT WAS EASY! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!" Frisk chuckled to himself, quietly, and Papyrus did much the same. "SO...WHAT ARE YOU WEARING…? I'M...ASKING FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A GROSS BANDAGE," he said. "IS THAT TRUE? ARE YOU WEARING A GROSS BANDAGE?"

 _...Weird question,_ he thought. He only muttered a subdued, "Mm-hmm" into the receiver.

"SO YOU _ARE_ WEARING A GROSS BANDAGE...GOT IT! WINK-WINK! HAVE A NICE DAY!" he said before he hung up.

Frisk took the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment before he shrugged and put it back in his pocket and continued into the next room.

Which was _huge._

There were echo flowers everywhere, and he could see on the ceiling that there were thousands of sparkling gemstones. Even for a jaded teenage boy, it was a sight to behold and needless to say, his opinions about Waterfall were already changing. As he walked along on the path, he overheard an acho flower say, "A long time ago, Monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true." Frisk was about to continue forward when he heard a sigh. "Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…"

He felt his smile, and his spirits, fall. Humanity had taken more away from the Monsters than he initially thought. _Well...nothing to do but walk._ He kept moving forward, hands in his pockets, absentmindedly staring up at the ceiling and listening to whatever echo flowers were closest.

"Thousands of people wishing together…"

"...sis! Make a wish…!"

"I wish to never be…"

"...sister and I will…"

"...for our king to be his happy old self...

"...seems my horoscope is the same as…"

Frisk only stopped when he saw a wall approaching and finally brought his head down, but when he turned around he noticed something...a telescope.

He'd never been able to use one before, and had always wanted one when he was a little, _little_ kid. No way was he passing this up. Frisk ran up to it and stuck his face as close to the lens as he could and saw the ceiling up close. He gasped.

It was like looking at another planet that wasn't even far away. The stones glittered like the stars they were meant to be, and Frisk could see the details in them. He started swinging the lens around to look at them all, until he noticed something was wrong; it was smudged. At least, he thought it was until he focused on a patch of gems that were brighter than the rest, and could see the words "Check Wall" and an up arrow written there. He backed away from the telescope and looked around. He hadn't noticed until now, but there was a long corridor leading to the north, and Frisk instinctively walked down it until he got to the end, where there was nothing but solid rock.

Until he placed his hand on it, and the stone miraculously slid downward into the clay and sand. He looked beyond to see the stone cliffs dropped into a massive bog of sorts, the water stagnant and murky and the only place he could go was supported by a large wooden pier. He glanced down, then back up, and tentatively stepped on it. The wood creaked, but it didn't feel like it was in danger of snapping from rot. Frisk took a deep breath and began to slowly walk across, until he found plaques on the walls. He looked around. Sensing nothing was nearby, he began to read.

"The War of Humans and Monsters…"

* * *

A/N: If you didn't get the reference I put in this chapter, I'm afraid you can't call yourself a real Undertale fan. Sorry bub, I don't make the rules.


	6. Cross Reference

Cross Reference

Waterfall was quite peaceful, now that Frisk was used to it. He walked over to the last bridge seed still on the ground and picked it up, went over to the edge of the pool of water, and gently set it adrift toward the other three. When they touched, he saw them blossom, and he ran around the other side and walked to the small alcove hidden away from the rest of the area, with a singular bench sitting on the ground in the center. He walked up to it, bent down, and found a quiche sitting under it as expected. He picked it up without hesitation and went back to the main area. He couldn't place why, but it felt like the area was...bigger, even though there was nothing much else to do.

Frisk strode through the door after having a quick chat with Papyrus over the phone. He knew it didn't matter what he said, he'd _still_ have to fight Undyne. But he couldn't help but think back to what Sans told him and wonder…

And just like that, he was in the Wishing Room. He'd been through here enough times already to do this part in his sleep, so he walked over to the north wall at the end of the second hallway and touched it. The rock slid away from his hand and opened up to the bog beyond. Frisk walked over to the glowing plaques on the wall, but slowly, and he passed by them all without reading them. He didn't feel like he should disrespect history by just _running_ by them, though, but Frisk did reach the raft at the end of the boardwalk after a minute and gently kicked himself off from the pier.

He floated slowly. It gave him time to think, at least. Like, how was he going to "shake things up," as it were? He was slowly breaking walls he hadn't even been aware of before, but how far could he _really_ push things? All he knew for certain was that Undyne might have something to do with it...but what _could_ he do?

Frisk was taken out of his planning by the sudden rocking motion of the raft hitting land and he stepped off the wooden dinghy and onto another boardwalk. He could see it winding forward from here, as if it's only purpose was to provide him an obstacle. He rolled his eyes and shrugged after a minute. "Well, knowing the Underground," he said, "probably just another diversion tactic for human invaders." So yes, maybe this was entirely justified. He started walking in silence for about thirty seconds before he saw something glint from the darkness in the riverbank to his left.

From the blackness, he saw her stride out in obsidian-black armor, and almost immediately Undyne raised her hand to summon spears of searing magic in the air around him. Frisk didn't wait around for a signal to go; he just _went._ The spears sailed by his head, all at once, and he could hear the air whistling as they went by. Frisk abruptly shot himself right, just in time to hear more spears being summoned and thrown at him. They missed. He was a lot better at dodging things in real-time than in a FIGHT. The fact that Undyne didn't try throwing spears out of sync to try and mess him up was cool, too. Actually, Undyne was cool as hell when she wasn't trying to kill him.

Frisk leaped over a gap between two sides of the boardwalk when he found himself at a turn that was a full ninety degrees; there was no way he could turn and not get hit. He took a sideways glance over at Undyne again. She still had her eye trained on him, sizing him up like a hunter judges their prey; Frisk was only thankful he'd learned how to be a slippery little hunk of meat. After another moment of running, Frisk reached solid land and ducked into the reeds that were waiting for him there. He pushed forward a few feet before he slowed and stopped. He already heard the heavy footsteps behind him.

Undyne had vaulted across the chasm between the ledge she was camped in and the riverbank and quickly followed Frisk into the plants. Frisk couldn't _see_ the reeds parting as she approached, but again, he didn't _need_ to, since he could hear her loud and clear. She was getting closer.

He held his breath. No matter how many times he had to weather this storm, it made his muscles tense up, because _sure,_ she'd grabbed MK by the head at least a hundred times and let him go without another look, but what if, by some astronomically small chance, she still grabbed him and–

Wait.

Frisk's eyes widened and the only thing keeping him attuned to the situation was Undyne's armored footsteps coming closer, right up until they stopped. He glanced up to see, through a small, thin wall of reeds, the distinctive shine and cut of her black armor. Well, he had an idea. Not necessarily a _good_ idea, but hey, Sans wanted him to shake things up. If he got brutally maimed, he could blame it on the skeleton. _Let's see...if I'm here and she's there...she uses her right hand...so…_

He sidled over to his left very, _very_ slightly and waited. He saw Undyne raise her arm...and she brought it down.

The next thing Frisk knew, he'd been hoisted up by his hair. It hurt a _lot,_ but he tried to ignore it as he met Undyne's gaze. The both of them were dead silent until Undyne spoke only one word: **"You."**

Her voice came off as deeper and with more reverb from inside the armor, but it mostly sounded the same. Frisk fidgeted, his arms and legs dangling uselessly in the air. "Yeah, it's me, congratulations, I guess. You caught me. Now what?" he asked, as if he didn't know the answer.

" **Now?"** she repeated. **"Now, I tear your SOUL out of your tiny, pathetic body."** She reeled her fist back and conjured a spear in it, and though Frisk's heart was pumping adrenaline through his veins he managed to keep his cool long enough to act like he'd seen something behind Undyne.

"Huh? Doctor Alphys, what are _you_ doing out here?" he called to the empty air.

He noticed that Undyne flinched and she whipped her head around and exclaimed, **"What…?"** Frisk grinned to himself and curled his legs up before kicking Undyne's helmet. _**"Urghh…!"**_ Undyne stumbled forward and dropped Frisk, who ducked between her legs and tore off in the other direction, back onto the boardwalk, and he heard Undyne yell after him, **"What? You…! Get back here!"**

Frisk knew he couldn't run the length of the boardwalk; he planned on it. He took a quick right turn until he got as close to the opposite shore as he could before he held his breath and jumped. He sailed through the air and ended up slamming into the edge of the bank of the lake; he managed to hold himself up and not fall into the water (he straight-up refused to let something so embarrassing happen when he was busy being an action hero), though he got his right leg below the shin wet. Frisk hoisted himself up and shook some of the water out of his shoe before he kept running through the caves behind.

He took a quick glance behind him and saw Undyne effortlessly jump across the bank again, kicking up a small cloud of silt and sand when she landed, and she charged after him. Frisk turned his head back to the front and shook it. "Sans, you better appreciate this," he huffed.

He ran through more caverns, surrounded on all sides by rock and echo flowers. He could only hear snippets of what they were repeating, mostly passing small talk and scattered wishes up to the sky. Frisk ran by them all, and kept running until he heard the thunder behind him. Frisk didn't need to turn around to know there were at least several spears trained on his chest, and he threw himself to the left arbitrarily. He heard the spears go sailing by him before he rolled on the ground and took off in that direction instead. Frisk turned around; Undyne had jumped down from a higher ledge and was hurtling toward him.

He was so engrossed in how to wriggle free of Undyne's grip when she caught him that he didn't see the steep hill in front of him until it was too late, and he felt himself trip when his foot didn't find the ground in front of him level. Frisk yelped and began rolling over himself as he tumbled down a hillside of silt, gravel, and mud. He continuously cried out as his back hit the ground and he tried to keep his face covered, but he could still feel mud and loose gravel strike him every so often.

When Frisk finally reached the bottom of the hill, he was horribly disoriented, but he saw in front of him that the area ahead was clear, and set among small rivers and islands in what must have been a river delta, probably one of the many in Waterfall. He shook his head to get the stars out of his vision and ran forward, since he knew Undyne was still going to be hot on his tail. Sure enough, he heard a loud, hollow * **THUD*** and he pivoted his head around slightly to see she'd landed not too far behind him. He slowed down as he approached the riverbank when he realized he didn't have the energy or the will to go island-hopping, and turned around.

This was _such_ a terrible idea that he couldn't help but be a little proud of it.

" **Alright,"** Undyne rasped from inside her suit, **"nowhere left to run."**

Undyne attacks!

Frisk gazed intently at Undyne and CHECKed her. "ATK - 50 DEF - 20. Fights for the ones who cannot defend themselves." How incredibly corny.

" **This is the end for you!"** she yelled as she swung a spear and sent it flying at Frisk. He ducked down and ran as more of them began materializing into existence with every move he made. He dodged left, then right, then jumped over a low sweep. This was _very_ different than what she usually pulled on him, forcing him to stay in one place. No more staying on the back foot, then. The spears began encircling him and started to press in. He saw a couple of them sparkle orange and he charged through them. That was the thing about her. The one thing Undyne could easily respect…

Was martial prowess.

Before the spears even had a chance to disappear, Frisk ran forward forced his left fist out. He struck Undyne's armor, and the resulting clanging sound reverberated across the whole area. Frisk was quite proud of himself, at least before he became hyper-aware of the burning, stinging pain in his knuckles. He yelled and pulled his hand back, and began massaging it.

He took a quick glance up to see Undyne frozen to the spot...at least for a few seconds. Her helmet made it understandably hard to read her expression, and her silence wasn't helping. Before he could properly react, he'd been nicked by a couple more spears and began to back off, especially as he saw turquoise portals fade in on the ground. They began shooting more spears out of the ground, in a wave-like motion and were slowly gaining on him. He backed up for a moment before he felt a distinct lack of ground behind his right heel and felt him tip over.

Frisk flailed his arms madly for a moment, not daring to look back, but he managed to regain his balance and he ran right back up to Undyne and swung his right hand this time, connecting with her armor once again. The burning sensation shot right up his arm and he shrieked and pulled back, nursing his hand. He felt like he'd done more damage to this one than his left; he was only thankful he wasn't right-handed in the first place. It's like he expected something different to happen, but then again, a cornered animal pulls out all the stops, and he was banking on Undyne respecting him enough to deliver him to Asgore instead of outright killing him.

He shook his fist one last time to get all the pain out before he looked back up at Undyne. She had been silent again, and was presently fixated on him. She lowered her head before she said, **"You...you're trying to fight me…"** She looked back up and continued, a little louder, **"But I can tell...your heart's not in it."**

It took a lot for Frisk to remind himself Undyne wasn't his friend...not yet. He fell into a battle-stance and rolled his neck. Just in time, too, as dozens of spears began criss-crossing his space, and he had to jump and sidestep like a madman. First they came from above, then behind him, then the rose up from the ground like spike traps, and then Undyne began launching them in random arrays across the whole arena. They stopped after awhile. **"...Human…answer me truthfully: do you really want to fight?"** Undyne asked.

Frisk's pupils shrunk. He hadn't expected Undyne to back down from fighting so quickly, and he relaxed his body. He looked down at the ground and then shook his head.

" **I didn't think so,"** she said. **"Truthfully, none of the humans that fell down before you did."** She made her spear vanish and took one small step closer to Frisk. **"But none of them made it to King Asgore anyway, so in the end, it didn't matter."**

Frisk took a couple steps closer to Undyne as well. She continued, **"But you...you're not fighting me to survive...right?"** She was getting a little more informal. That was good. **"You're fighting for some other reason. What is it?"**

Frisk took another step forward and he felt himself smile. He'd managed to take a detour _and_ befriend Undyne in one fell swoop. Sans _had_ to be happy about this. Frisk got closer as Undyne took a couple more steps forward. **"Is it for vindication? Have you suffered because of us before, and want your revenge? Is it for respect? You think that by standing up to me, you can earn the right to die as you please?"** Undyne lowered her head again, and went wholly silent. Frisk's brow furrowed and, though hesitant at first, walked up to her and gently grabbed her suit's gauntlet with his own hands.

" **...Or is it because you're gullible as all get out?"**

Before Frisk could process what she'd just said, he saw her wind up, and the next thing he knew, he was sailing through the air, courtesy of a devastating armored uppercut. For the few seconds he was airborne, he could see blood trailing out of his nose and mouth and through an arc in the air before he felt himself black out for all of two seconds before the cool water in the lake beyond the shore forced him back to consciousness. His head was reeling and his vision was blurry, but he was alive. He glanced up.

Of course, he guessed that if he stayed in this lake, he wouldn't stay that way. He shoved his broiling resentment into the back of his mind and began swimming. He was at least thankful that this lake wasn't too deep; if he _did_ drown, Undyne wouldn't have to dive far for his SOUL.

Assuming he didn't just reload his SAVE, of course.

He briefly debated pulling himself up on one of the smaller islands before he realized that if Undyne saw him, she wouldn't give him the chance to escape again, so he kept swimming in a straight line as far as he could get before he needed to breathe. He swam up as slowly as he could manage so that breaking the water's surface wouldn't make much noise and wouldn't draw much attention to himself, and once he did, he took in as much air as he could before he went back under and kept moving. After a couple more minutes, he saw the bottom of the lake slope upward and he pushed himself the last few feet forward before he came back up, gasping for breath.

Frisk trudged up the bank of the lake and found that he was not only across the lake, but the land ahead of him stretched onward as far as he could see. Frisk didn't care about that right now, he cared about getting his headache in check. He sprawled out on the ground and stuffed a cinnamon bunny into his mouth as fast as he could and immediately felt his headache getting better.

"Thank God for Monster food," he muttered to himself. As he laid there, he couldn't help but let that frustration from earlier come back again. He'd thought for _sure_ Undyne wouldn't fight him; of course, the worst part was this wasn't even the _first_ time he'd been tricked in such a fashion. Maybe he _was_ inherently too soft.

* * *

He was completely lost.

Frisk had got up after letting his stomach settle and his head clear up and he'd walked into the fields beyond where he had lied down. They were mostly flat, not many narrow corridors of rock to funnel him to a specific place. If he had to guess, it was probably close to Temmie Village; the glowing crystals and mushrooms scattered about the place brought back his old memories of it. He hadn't seen any Monsters yet though, which surprised him a bit.

He eventually walked long enough to find two solid faces of rock. As he exited the path between them, he saw on his left, a stream that came down from further out and bent to run parallel with the riverbank. Frisk looked around and decided to sit down for a moment. He took off his shoes and socks and sat down with legs dangling over the edge of the river, idly splashing the water as he kicked them. Frisk remained there in silence for awhile before he pulled out his phone and dialed Papyrus' number. The phone rang twice and he held it up to his ear.

"AH, HELLO, FRISK!" Papyrus exclaimed on the other end. "I WAS TRYING OUT A NEW RECIPE...SPAGHETTI DU LOCE, WHICH IS WHY I DIDN'T RESPOND AS QUICKLY AS I NORMALLY DO!"

"It's okay, Papyrus," Frisk said as he gazed out over the water. "...How well do you know Waterfall?"

Papyrus responded, "ABOUT AS WELL AS I KNOW MY BROTHER, WHICH MEANS COMPLETELY! EXCEPT I DON'T KNOW HOW HE MANAGES TO KEEP STEALING KETCHUP FROM THE FRIDGE WHEN I HAVEN'T BOUGHT ANY. SO…" He trailed off. "I GUESS I DON'T KNOW HIM AS WELL AS I THOUGHT? BUT I STILL KNOW HIM ABOUT NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT OF 'COMPLETELY,' WHICH IS STILL AN 'A.' I THINK."

Frisk chuckled. "Better than I know him."

"HE IS VERY VAGUE AND CRYPTIC. AND PRONE TO PRANKING PEOPLE HUNDREDS OF YARDS AWAY WITHOUT REALIZING IT," Papyrus said. "ANYWAY, I JUST NOTICED! YOU SOUND HUNGRY! THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME, ASK FOR SOME OF THE SPAGHETTI I'M COOKING! YOU CAN'T SMELL IT THROUGH THE PHONE, BUT IT IS DELICIOUS!"

He _could_ hear the sizzling of the stove through the receiver, true enough. It was faint, but audible. "I'll try to remember that Papyrus," he replied. "Hopefully, I'll see you soon."

"DO NOT STAY OUTSIDE FOR LONG! I HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE HUMANS DON'T TAKE TO OUTSIDE CONDITIONS THAT WELL AND MAY GET SICK IF EXPOSED TO WIND, RAIN, AND/OR ANNOYING STREET VENDORS." He hung up without any further elaboration and Frisk laughed to himself before he stood up, dried his legs off, put his shoes back on and kept walking. He walked down the riverbank until the stream bent and both he and it were forced to go their separate ways.

As he continued on, Frisk came across another lake, with several Monsters gathered around the edge and holding fishing poles. He approached one, a rather elderly, hunchbacked civet with elongated arms, and the Monster said, "This 'ere's me fav'rit fishin' spot...least it was, 'til all them youngsters started showin' up." He looked up and over his shoulder to the dozens of other Monsters along the boardwalk and continued, "You stupid kids get off my pier! Shouldn't you be on your phones 'r sum'in?"

Frisk shook his head and smiled, and walked onward. The other Monsters stayed where they were, fishing things up. Frisk could see into a couple little buckets they brought that they weren't actually catching fish, but random objects that really had no business being in this lake: a CD, a megaphone, a spool of thread, a fork, and even a cinder block. Frisk guessed they'd flowed in from the dump, but he couldn't tell for sure. He then came across a fishing pole near the end of the boardwalk that wasn't being used and, curious little soul he was, grabbed it and cast it into the water.

He waited. And waited. And waited. He almost fell asleep waiting, but he suddenly jerked himself fully awake and upright when he felt the line being tugged away and he quickly stood up and began pulling the fishing pole back as he tried to reel the line in. Whatever was in the water was feisty, though, and every time Frisk pulled hard enough to bring it closer, it managed to pull back in the other direction, getting further away from the shore.

Frisk planted his right foot behind him and allowed the line to go out longer than normal before he stopped it abruptly, hoping to shock whatever was on the other end. It worked, as the object stopped squirming for a couple seconds, long enough for him to start reeling it in closer. However, it went right back to thrashing around in the water, and Frisk had to pull doubly hard to make sure the pole didn't fly out of his hands.

The fishing pole was bending forward and left and right, and Frisk was afraid it was going to snap, but he couldn't stop now. He _wanted_ whatever was out there; if it was putting up such a fight, he _had_ to see what it looked like. Frisk pulled one last time and reeled the line in further. The object was struggling, but by the way the line itself was moving slower than before, Frisk knew its resolve was weakening. He grinned and with one final, triumphant heave, he yanked the pole up, and the object came sailing out of the lake and landed right in the nearby bucket. Frisk himself had fallen backward on his rear, and then sprawled out on his back, so he quickly righted himself and crawled over to see what he'd caught; he peered over the lip of the bucket to find...

It was a pear.

His smile vanished as he slowly reached in and picked up the chicken produce. Frisk looked it over, up, down, all around before deducing it was, in fact, an ordinary pear, and he whispered, "...A _pear_ gave me this much trouble…?"

He looked back down at it for a couple minutes before he scowled and wound up his left arm before he chucked it as hard as he could and watched it sail over the water's surface for a few seconds. Then it finally fell back down and disappeared into the lake some twelve feet away. "I'm actually _really_ angry," Frisk muttered as he turned and walked away. "Like, I know it should be obvious from how I threw that thing back into the lake, but _seriously,_ now."

He got over it after he walked away from the docks and was well on his way forward. After a few more feet and around a bend, Frisk had wandered into a darkened cave, just barely illuminated by shining gems embedded into the ground, but it didn't last long. When he was out, Frisk found himself on a narrow stretch of land between two streams, and it was almost covered with tall grasses and reeds. He could see some Monster children running between the blades with nets, probably trying to catch bugs. Frisk was tempted to join them, but he still had to get back to familiar ground, so he marched forward through the grass. He did stop about halfway through to look around at some of the bugs, though.

He saw one that flitted about between reeds that looked like a ladybug with the shell structure of a goliath beetle, a dragonfly with bright yellow wings and wearing a very small top hat, and several more. He didn't even see one of the Monsters nearby until she called out, "Excuse me...yes, you with the striped shirt."

Frisk whipped his head around and replied, "Yeah?"

"Could you do something about your friend...?"

Frisk blinked once and furrowed his brow. "...My...friend…?"

"Yes, your friend…" she replied, "the one behind you with the creepy smile." Frisk's eyes went wide and he spun around, only to be greeted with reeds and grasses. A couple more kids ran by as if to emphasize nothing was wrong. When he turned back to the little girl, she seemed shocked. "Hmm? Where'd your friend go?"

"Uh...I'unno…!" Frisk trailed off as he ran away. He pushed by more grasses and Monsters until he was out of the reeds altogether, and took a quick glance behind him just to make sure he wasn't being followed. He kept looking around until, sensing he was safe, shivered to get it out of his system and kept walking. The worst part about that whole exchange was that he couldn't tell if the little girl was being genuine or pulling a prank on him. She _sounded_ surprised, but nothing could disappear faster than the time it took him to turn around.

Could it?

Frisk sighed. "Whatever. It's past me now, and I'm okay." He walked onward until he came upon another dark cave that led away from the bug-catching spot and ventured inside. This place was much the same as the one he walked through to get there, except the cave ceiling was much higher than before, and there were no gems to guide his path. He stumbled into the wall more times than he cared to admit, but Frisk eventually found his way out, and found himself in a small clearing with a river running by. The riverbank had nothing of note on it, just silt and clay. Still, that cave he walked through felt...unnatural.

Frisk couldn't shake the feeling there was something behind him.

And he turned around to see his worst fears confirmed. It was...Jerry. But completely greyscale, and…

Frisk shuddered and felt his stomach start convulsing in disgust.

Where Jerry's eyes usually were, there were odd tentacles covered in suction cups, and the bump in the middle of its body housed a single, unblinking, milky-white eye. Jerry no longer had a mouth at all, just the two little nostrils in the center of its face. Its arms now extended from the top of its head instead of under where its eyes were supposed to be, and it seemed to be floating in the air, as its legs were now nothing more than stumps that cut off before they reached the ground. Frisk could feel himself get sicker the longer he looked at this thing. "Who…?"

"The feeling of being broken...utterly and completely...the weakness in both body and mind... " it said, cutting him off. "It is your destiny, and the destiny of everyone who lives, don't you think?"

Frisk didn't even blink. The Jerry-lookalike simply vanished from sight in an instant; no smoke and mirrors, no gradual phasing out, just...immediately gone. Frisk looked around and shook his head to clear it. Judging by previous experience, he'd been visited by an aspect of that "Gaster" fellow that he'd heard so much about by now. All he knew for certain was that he used to be a Royal Scientist, like Alphys, before something tragic happened to him and his consciousness was scattered across time and space. Frisk didn't really get how that could happen to anyone and allow them to stay alive, but he'd been surprised by weirder.

"AH, THERE YOU ARE, HUMAN!"

Frisk jumped and whirled around to see Papyrus running up to the riverbank on the other side, waving to him. "I THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR CALL FOR A FEW MINUTES AND REALIZED YOU MIGHT BE IMPLYING THAT YOU WERE LOST, SO NATURALLY, I CAME OUT TO RESCUE YOU!" He paused for a moment and scratched his head. "...DO YOU STILL NEED RESCUING, FRISK?"

Frisk grinned and exclaimed, "Yes! I need someone to get me over this stream. I only wish there was a Royal Guardsman nearby who could get me safely across–oh, wait!" He winked at Papyrus who smiled wider and struck a heroic pose, with his hand resting on his breastplate, and he chuckled triumphantly.

"FEAR NOT, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE THE PERFECT REMEDY TO THIS SITUATION!" He then waved his hands, causing several bones about twelve feet tall to manifest in front of him, and he pushed them over with a loud, "NYEH…!" They came crashing down on the other side of the riverbed, making an impromptu bridge. Frisk grinned and hopped up on top of them. They weren't lined up well enough to make a solid bridge, but he wasn't in any danger of falling into the water and made it to the other side safely. He smiled up at Papyrus and jumped up to hug him again.

"Thanks, Papyrus!"

The skeleton was blushing, as usual. "NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH! THINK NOTHING OF IT, TINY FRISK!" After another moment, Frisk relaxed his grip and Papyrus put him down. He declared, "IN FACT, I WAS IN SUCH A HURRY THAT I DROPPED MY SPAGHETTI ON A PLATE AND RAN OUT THE DOOR! THINGS SUCH AS 'PLATING' AND 'DELIVERY' TAKE A BACKSEAT TO THE WELL-BEING OF MY BEST FRIEND!"

"Well, I'm glad to know even your love of food won't get in the way of my safety," Frisk affirmed.

"COME ON! I THINK I HEARD MY BROTHER UP AHEAD," Papyrus said. He turned on his heel and marched off with Frisk right behind him. "HE USUALLY HAS A TELESCOPE SET UP AND CHARGES PEOPLE TO USE IT."

In time, they came to a familiar set of islands on another underground lake, and Papyrus did his best to bridge the gaps between them as they jumped from island to island until they reached a shore of silt to the west. There was a small ball of flame with eyes loitering around, and just as Papyrus said, Sans was there, too, standing next to a telescope. When he saw his brother and Frisk approaching, he waved leisurely and asked, "hey there. _water_ you two doin'?"

Frisk broke into laughter while Papyrus stared Sans down with eyes and a frown that screamed "where did I go wrong with you?"

"I SEE YOU'RE MAKING YOURSELF USEFUL AS EVER, SANS," Papyrus declared dryly.

"relax bro, i managed to make some extra gold with this old thing today," Sans said as he nudged the telescope. 'hey, you wanna take a look? the ceiling's beautiful this time of year."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT, SANS!" Papyrus cried. "I MAY HAVE FALLEN FOR THAT ONCE, BUT I AM NOT A BABY-BONES ANYMORE!" He sighed and massaged his forehead before standing back up straight. "IN ANY CASE…! I FOUND FRISK A BIT LOST ON THEIR WAY TO SEE THE KING, SO I PROMPTLY RESCUED THEM!"

Sans cast a sideways glance and said, "ah, goin' up to see King Asgore to ask if he'll just let you stay down here, just to be safe, eh? good call."

"INDEED! AFTER THAT, ALL THEY'LL HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IS WHERE TO STAY!" Papyrus said.

There was a tangible silence hanging over them for a moment before Sans straightened up and said, "could probably stay with us, i mean…"

"AN EXCELLENT IDEA!" Papyrus declared. "THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT SANS!"

He only looked up at Papyrus and chuckled. "wanted to say it yourself, didn't you?"

"YES."

"wanted to hear it from me to see if i was okay with it, too."

"...YES," Papyrus said as he rubbed his arm.

Sans shrugged. "if it's the kid, i'm always okay with it…" He trailed off and looked at Frisk. "at least, if frisk doesn't mind…"

"Yes!" Frisk exclaimed before he paused and went back on his statement. "I mean, 'no!' Or, I mean... _yeah,_ I wanna stay with you guys!"

Sans smiled, but Papyrus was beaming brightest of all. "YES!" he cried. "THE HUMAN WANTS TO STAY WITH US! I'M NOT SURPRISED OF COURSE, I _AM_ THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AFTER ALL, BUT 'YES' ALL THE SAME!"

Sans shook his head and chuckled before he whispered, "you're gonna hear this a lot," to Frisk.

"Good," Frisk whispered back.

"WITH THAT SETTLED, I SHALL RETURN TO MY POST TO SEE IF ANY MORE HUMANS HAVE FALLEN! I HOPE THEY DO! OURS COULD USE A FEW MORE FAMILIAR FACES TO MAKE THEM FEEL MORE AT HOME!" With his mind spoken, Papyrus ran off back in the direction of Snowdin, but not before he called over his shoulder, "AND SANS, YOU BETTER STAY AWAKE FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR THIS TIME!"

They watched him go and round the bend and disappear from sight. Sans sighed and glanced back at Frisk. "so, you wanna have a look? i'll make admission free for you, too." Frisk actually debated with himself for a minute, but after a second, he nodded and Sans stepped back. Frisk stuck his head up to the telescope and swiveled it around for a moment before he stepped away, now sporting a fresh shiner made of hot pink marker. He grinned at Sans, who just shook his head. "you're really an odd one, kid."

Frisk rolled his eyes and looked back at the islands out on the lake. There were dust and motes of light rising up from the water, bathing everything nearby in turquoise and light blue. It was one of the most beautiful places in the Underground, but that also meant it was probably the most prone to...very odd things happening within its perimeter. Frisk looked back at Sans, who was now leaning up against the wall and came closer. Sans opened one eye and nodded his head, indicating for Frisk to talk. "So, did you, um...do the...do the thing that you said...the thing you were gonna do…?" he whispered.

Sans stared at him for a moment before he scoffed once and replied, "i did, actually. turns out…" He trailed off, and Frisk knew, on some instinctive level, that he was doing it deliberately, either to drag out the suspense or to make him sweat, he didn't know. Either way, he hated it and wanted to tell Sans to stop, but felt that would make him keep whatever secrets he was keeping to himself for good.

"i think i got something."

Frisk exhaled dramatically, and it made Sans grin. "i don't know what you did, buddy, but whatever it was, i wish you'd done it before and more often. you punched father time in the gut pretty hard." Sans craned his neck and rolled it around. "hard enough for me to talk to an old partner-in-crime."

The silence fell heavy after that before Frisk glanced around and rotated his hands, indicating for Sans to continue. "Well...who was it?"

Sans kept his pupils trained on Frisk ashe stared ahead, and then he closed his eyes and lowered his head. "bit of a long story; needs some background." He breathed in and continued, "you know alphys, right? royal scientist? if not already, you probably know her from before."

"...Go on…"

He pushed himself off the wall to stand up straight. "well, the thing is, she wasn't _always_ the royal scientist. used to be, she had a predecessor. genius guy, built the core, but-"

"Gaster."

Sans froze and felt time itself stop around him. There was no way anyone could know that name, not even Frisk, unless…

He relaxed his body after awhile, and his grin came back to normal. He looked over at Frisk. "so, how'd you guess?"

Frisk suddenly shrunk away a little and turned his body so that his front was facing off to Sans' right. "I, um...may've had some...experience with him...before…" he muttered.

Sans was silent for a moment. "shoulda known," he chuckled. "probably went outta your way to meet him again after you first found him, didn't you?"

"Is that bad…?" Frisk asked. "Because I found him in this weird, grey empty room and there was this monster standing there looking all hunched over and his face was broken, but he was smiling and-"

Sans placed a hand on his shoulder and interrupted, "alright frisk, i get it. you've seen him and you definitely know who he is...but what you probably _don't_ know is that i'm related to him."

Frisk stared wide-eyed at Sans for a minute before he whispered breathlessly, "...How…?"

"i'm his kid. well, i'm not actually his biological kid," Sans explained, "he always said we turned up at his doorstep one day and that was that."

"'We…?'" Frisk repeated.

"oh, yeah, 'we.' guess i forgot, since i never told anyone before, but that means me and papyrus."

"Papyrus?" Frisk had a dozen questions vying for a spot on his tongue and his brain couldn't keep up with them all. "B-but...but...why doesn't he-"

"remember…?" Sans finished. It took several minutes, and in that time, his face sunk and his grin turned somber. "...he doesn't," Sans said. "not even the king remembers him now. oh, he tried, can't fault him for it, but nobody remembers. nobody except me. and now...you." They remained quiet for a few more minutes before Sans' smile came back, though it was a bit weaker than before, and he said, "anyway, moving on from the mopey bits, i managed to get across to G thanks to you folding spacetime a bit. he left me a note. Technically, he left several, but this is the most recent." Sans then pulled out an entire pad of sticky notes and flipped through it until he was close to the last page. There was a message written on it in handwriting that looked nothing like Sans'.

Frisk stared at the message. It consisted of only one word, or at least he guessed it was one word. Nothing but odd symbols, including raised hands, bombs, and a snowflake. He looked back up at Sans questioningly, and he shrugged and chuckled. "it says 'imminent.' what that means in the context of our situation, i dunno."

Frisk took another look at the note before he looked back up and said, "You're dad's awfully vague."

Sans only scoffed again. He flipped to another sticky note with the more symbols scrawled across it. This one had hands making the peace sign, and a six-pointed star. Then, another one with water, two crosses, and a snowflake. Another one. Snowflakes, a pointing finger, a skull-and-corss bones. Another. Crosses, thumbs up, a white flag.

Snowflakes, bombs, raised hands.

Water, thumbs down, snowflake.

The sun, skull-and-cross bones, neutral face.

The peace sign, pointing fingers, a sad face, water.

Water, the peace sign, snowflakes, thumbs-down.

Water, three peace signs, a bomb, and the six-pointed star

Skull -and-cross bones, a white flag, the thumbs-up.

Pointing up, raised hand, thumbs-down, skull-and-cross bones.

A peace sign, the okay sign, a cross, another peace sign, two sad faces, mailbox, thumbs-down, peace sign, pointing down, sad face, raised hand, peace sign.

"buddy, you don't know the half of it," Sans sighed.

Frisk was too lost in trying to decipher the symbols to care. They looked random, but they weren't; there was a structure to them. What _kind_ of structure, Frisk didn't know for certain, but he could tell. He looked back up at Sans and asked, "But you can translate them, right? He left you a key or something to do it, obviously?" Sans broke out into laughter for a solid minute before wiping a tear from his eye and staring back down at Frisk. His expression went from surprised to offended. "I'm being serious, Sans!"

"eh-heh...yeah, i can tell you are kid, but seriously, that was pretty funny. but nah, G didn't leave anything for me to use to solve his puzzles, except for the whole 'imminent' thing i heard when he first talked to me." Sans stuffed his left hand into his pocket and said, "so far, I've only been able to translate a couple of these. these say 'nullspace,' 'anomaly,' and 'enoch,'" as he shook the corresponding sticky notes.

"...So...now what?" Frisk said at length.

"now you gotta finish your story," Sans said. "only polite, y'know, since i told you about what G's been tellin' me."

Frisk opened his mouth and breathed in as if to speak, but he looked around and slowly closed it. "...Not here," he whispered. Sans blinked at him a couple times and sighed, which prompted Frisk to respond, "I'm sorry, Sans, I just…!"

"shh, hey, kid...it's okay." Sans placed a reassuring hand on his head and tousled his hair. Frisk didn't want to smile, but he couldn't help it. "only ones who know what you been up to is you and me, and trust me, keepin' the secret that you've actually seen several different timelines go by you is _not_ the easiest thing to take in. especially in my case, since they all feel like really vivid dreams." He let go of Frisk and stuffed his hands back in his pockets. "you're doin' good, frisk. keep it up."

Frisk stared up at Sans for another moment before he smiled and turned around and dropped a few items in the box nearby, and walked over to the fire-sprite who was standing around at the lake's edge. Sans had heard this conversation a hundred times before, although only in vague memories. And yet, something about it resonated more now than it ever did before.

"What's a star? Can you touch it? Can you eat it? Can you kill it?" The tiny little flame-sprite paused to think for a moment before it gazed into Frisk's eyes and asked, "Are _you_ a star...?"

* * *

The walk to where he needed to be wasn't long. Shorter, since he ran from every encounter he faced on the way, but he wanted to be there quickly. He wanted to get there and _needed_ to stay there for awhile.

Of course, there was no real way to skip around Onionsan's room, and it wasn't that Frisk didn't like him, he just...felt like he had a greater obligation to fulfill. As Onionsan sunk beneath the water, calling out his farewell, Frisk waved until he was completely out of sight and he walked forward. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for, and he entered the alcove to his left.

It was a small room, barely any larger than Papyrus' room in Snowdin on first glance and it held only a plaque and a piano. Frisk approached it and looked over the keys. He cracked his knuckles, breathed in deep, and whispered only one sentence to himself before he began his solitary performance:

"I'm not gonna cry this time."

And then he let his fingers glide over the ivory keys. They sang as if being handled by a master, even though Frisk had never learned to play; but, in every run he'd done, he'd always stopped to play this old piano, and it had become second nature to him.

Well, _almost_ always, but he didn't care about that point at the moment. He was too busy playing and allowing the notes to carry him up. Circle, Up, Right, Circle. Down, Down, Right. The wall to the right quaked and crumbled to rubble and Frisk didn't hear it. He kept playing.

 _F# C# B F# A A B, F# B F# A A B._

Frisk felt the keys call to him. It sounded like sorrow. It sounded like regret. It sounded like someone begging for salvation...it sounded like someone refusing his help. It sounded like the kind of pain that can't be put into words; the pain of having one's heart cut open to bleed again and again. But nothing can stop it, because the pain wasn't his. It sounded like bleeding for someone else.

 _F# C# B F# A A B, F# B D# C# B C#_

Frisk jerked his hands up and stepped back from the keyboard. He'd felt this pain before, more than a thousand times in one life alone.

But nothing, **nothing** could soothe it, because it always kept coming back to swallow him whole.

He took a couple more steps back and opened his eyes, swinging his gaze over to the open room in the niche in front of him. He refused to go in there now, after all, the same thing happened over and over. It's not like he could ever touch the artifact inside and figure out what it was supposed to do. Frisk sighed and left the piano behind, turned left back onto the original path, and walked until he came across an old, cracked stone statue. It used to be fine, wrought of solid granite polished to a mirror shine, and stood proudly in the fountain of what was now MTT resort. Mettaton had thrown it out; Frisk didn't know why. Maybe he was ignorant of what it stood for, or maybe he'd forgotten; even a normal Monster could outlive a human by five-hundred years, according to what Sans had told him once, on the surface. Neither would surprise him, but it broke his heart every time he saw it all the same. Frisk walked by and found the bin with umbrellas in it and arbitrarily picked out a red one and turned around, bringing his gift back to the statue. He gently placed it in the hunched figure's clasping hand.

(Inside the statue, a music box begins to play…)

Frisk sighed deeply and sat down in between the statue's legs and reclined backward. It was damp and covered in moss, but Frisk leaned back up against it all the same and closed his eyes.

(The music continues, and doesn't stop.)

He imagined it was someone living. He imagined it was his best friend.

The ground lapped up both the rain and Frisk's tears in equal measure.

* * *

A/N: And in this episode, we learn that no computer on the surface can use WingDings, leading to humans being utterly baffled by the black speech that pours from Gaster's mouth.

Also, wow, a longer chapter than normal, who'da thunk it?


	7. A Happy Little Story

A/N: 1) Welp, this is the last chapter I had fully planned and ready for export. We're flying by the seat of our pants from here on out, so buckle the fuck up.

2) IMPORTANT - There _is_ a plot point in this chapter that serves as the crux of this universe. What you are about to read of it may shock you. It may disturb you. It may even _horrify_ you. Therefore, if you believe you cannot handle such a drastic revelation, I advise you close this tab and leave this tale behind you, and never return to it again. But if you choose to stay, know that we are diving deep into uncharted territory that no sane man would dare to tread.

You have been warned.

A Happy Little Story

A small alcove held nothing more than a plaque with faded symbols. Over them was written "Gerson's." Frisk sighed and approached the shop and saw behind the counter, an older tortoise wearing a pith helmet and khaki shorts and a coat. The old coot grinned wide when he saw Frisk approach and he called, "Woah, there! I've got some neat junk for sale."

Frisk looked up at one of the shelves he kept in the back and pointed at a Crab Apple. "Please," he said, laying some Gold out on the table. Gerson smiled at him and went to fetch the food and then returned and placed it on the counter as well. Frisk took it.

"Thanks! Wa-ha-ha," he replied.

Frisk didn't respond. He only leaned up against one of the cliff faces and began absentmindedly munching on his treat. He had some Nice Cream with him, but he felt like he shouldn't be eating it right now. Some part of him thought that maybe, he didn't deserve it. He continued chewing on the Crab Apple, so focused on his thoughts he didn't notice Gerson eyeing him. "You look a little pecan, sonny," he said at length.

Frisk choked a bit, not expecting Gerson to say anything else, before he glanced over and then down at his snack. He'd only taken three bites out of it in the last five minutes. "Feelin' sick? I know this place has a lot of weird stuff floatin' around. Waterfall does that to visitors, wa-ha-ha!" he said again.

Frisk opened his mouth, but closed it to consider his words. After another moment of thinking, he said, "No. I'm not sick. Just tired."

"Now, why's that, I wonder?" Gerson pondered. "You're spry as a cat! In the prime of your life!"

He met the old tortoise's gaze and then let it fall to the ground. "...Well, maybe not _tired._ Maybe just a little sad." He knew Gerson was going to as ask why, so he quickly added, "Waterfall just...brings out all the emotions I try to keep under wraps."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gerson nod solemnly and lean his elbows on the counter. Frisk went back to eating his Crab Apple. He took one bite, then another one a few minutes later. His chewing slowed. He let his mind wander, and when he suddenly forced himself back into his body, he realized he should probably keep eating. He took another bite, but his chewing was going at a snail's pace. He sniffled and shook his head, and let the arm holding the snack fall to his side. Frisk squeezed his eyes shut. "I had a close friend once," he muttered, trying to hold back tears.

Gerson glanced up at him from the counter. He wasn't wearing his happy-go-lucky smile any more. "...They ain't around no more, are they?" he finished.

Frisk shook his head violently. He kept shaking; it was the only way he could feel, and as he did, he slid down the wall until he was curled up and crying quietly to himself. Frisk remained that way for what felt like hours until he heard Gerson's voice again. "C'mere for a minute, youngster." Frisk lifted his head slowly, and he saw that there was a small teacup on the counter, with Gerson standing behind it. His smile was back, but he wasn't showing his teeth. Still, Frisk slowly got up and walked over to the counter. There was some Sea Tea in the cup, and when Frisk glanced up at him questioningly, Gerson offered, "I've found that a warm drink always helps calm the ol' nerves. Go on, this one's on the house."

He paused a moment, but Frisk gently took the tea in his trembling hands and took a sip. Tea wasn't his thing, but Gerson was right; he felt a bit calmer after getting it in his system, but not completely at ease. "I don't know what to do," he murmured.

Gerson stared down at him and leaned on the counter again and said, "Sonny, I know how it feels to lose someone important to ya. When the missus passed, I didn't know what t'do with myself." He looked out beyond Frisk and at the opposite cave wall. "Pretty much spent all the time I had in King Fluffybuns' castle, and I was just as much keeping him company as he was supporting me–no, wait, I'm gettin' things mixed up again. Hold on a minute…"

He trailed off and the silence hurt Frisk more than he expected. "Ah, that's right," Gerson continued, "I actually spent most of my time locked up inside the house. Don't get me wrong, some old friends of mine came over every now and then to check on me, but otherwise, didn't know if it was night or day, wa-ha-ha! You wanna know how I got outta that rut?" Frisk nodded. Gerson tapped his head and said, "I found what I was good at."

Frisk cocked his head to the side. "Which was…?"

"History!" Gerson exclaimed. "I loved readin' history books, and when I stumbled on an old photo album of me and the wife, I realized I was missin' things like this on a _worldwide_ scale!" He threw his head back and laughed. "Wa-ha-ha! That was the day I threw the blinds open, smelled that fresh air, and donned the helmet I got on right now!" Gerson trailed off into a small chuckle, but he looked back down at Frisk and added, "Now, don't you mistake me, I ain't sayin' you should live _for_ them, but just...live _because_ of them. It's probably what they want, y'see?"

"Yeah, but… that was your wife. I lost...my best friend. That's two different ends of the spectrum," Frisk protested.

He shrugged. "What's a spouse but a best friend who knows you inside and out?" Gerson retorted. "Same difference, really. Wa-ha-ha."

Frisk furrowed his brow; he never really had time to look at it all that way, but then again, he wasn't worried about concepts like that right now. Either way, he thanked Gerson for the tea and the Crab Apple and went on his way, but he knew that although Gerson was right about a couple things, he was wrong about the distinction between living for someone and living because of someone.

In this case, they were one and the same.

* * *

Motes of light danced across the water's surface. The echo flowers swayed in rhythm to a silent song. Frisk tried his best not to disturb the water as he waded through it, even though it came up to just under his shoulders. He _hated_ doing this the first time. And the second time. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember at which point exactly he'd gotten used to it. Maybe after the one-hundred seventy-first try, he didn't know.

Then he heard someone talking to him, and turned his head.

"Where, oh where could that child be…?" Toriel said, "I've been looking all over for them…"

Frisk paused and waited for the inflection to change. _"Hee hee hee._ **That's** not true," Flowey taunted, "She'll find another kid and instantly forget about you. You'll **never** see her again."

The flower went silent before Frisk heard, "Where, oh where could that child be…?" repeated again. He shook his head and kept slogging through the water. He knew Flowey was trying to get his goat with that message; the one where it sounded like Toriel was trapped in purgatory after he'd killed her…

He shuddered. _That_ one made him lie down and wish for death the first time he heard it.

Frisk clambered out of the flooded room and twisted his sweater and shorts to get some of the excess water out before he soldiered on. In time, he came to a cliff overlooking a ninety-degree drop into the abyss, only made traversable by a rickety wooden bridge with no rails. He looked out across the gap and sighed before he took a few steps forward. He was surprised to hear someone call for him.

"Yo!"

Frisk stopped and turned to see MK jogging toward him, a smile on his face. Once he reached Frisk he bounced up and down excitedly. "I haven't seen you in so long, dude! Not since you got Undyne to grab you!"

Frisk rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I uh...kept her busy."

"Dude, you are _so_ lucky," MK continued. "I'd _never_ wash my face again if she grabbed me like that."

 _Oh, the irony,_ Frisk thought. He walked forward with MK right beside him.

"Anyway, I was thinking, and then I saw you were actually here, and thought...where are you from?"

Frisk nearly tripped over his own shoes. "Uh…" He thought. He thought harder. He thought as hard as he could, but now, he couldn't even remember the name of the town he was born in. Had he really been down here that long? He shook his head and stared down at his shoes to keep thinking.

His silence was duly noted. "Yo, okay, don't tell me...Snowdin!"

Frisk glanced over at MK and shook his head again. "Nope."

"Oh. Uh…" MK racked his brains a minute and then said, "New Home!"

"Mm-mmm."

MK quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, Hotland?" Frisk shook his head again and MK frowned and stared at the ground as they walked. "Well, nobody lives in Waterfall, so only place I think you'd come from is, um…" Suddenly, his head shot up and his whirled around to stare wide-eyed at Frisk. "Yo...are you, like...a...a _human_ or something?"

Frisk winked at him. "Bingo."

MK immediately froze on the spot and reeled back a bit, sucking in a huge lungful of air. After a moment of silence he whispered breathlessly, "Yo…" Frisk couldn't help but laugh, and it seemed to snap MK out of his shock. "Uh, well...shoot," he said. "I, uh, guess that kinda makes sense. Nobody's ever actually _seen_ a human down here in the last hundred years, ha ha."

"To be fair, I don't think anyone remembers Monsters still exist anyway, so we're even," Frisk commented.

They remained there, in the middle of that bridge for a few more moments before MK said, "Yo, you know what the king's gonna do once he finds out there's a human down here, right?" Frisk nodded without a word. "...So, if you know what the king's gonna do, what're _you_ gonna do?"

"Nothing."

"But dude, the king'll come searching for you! He'll…!"

"I'm not gonna go looking for him," Frisk cut him off. "I thought I would, at first, but then I realized I could just stay in Snowdin, avoid him, and talk to him when I'm ready." He paused a second, and then added, "I'd happily give up my SOUL to get the Monsters out of here, but I've got some stuff to do first."

"...Like what, dude?" MK asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I, uh…" His face flushed red and he gazed out across the chasm below, at the stalagmites rising up from the ground. "There's someone I've been waiting to see downhere for awhile now. It's-" Before Frisk could finish his thought, he saw a glint in the corner of his vision, and he turned to face back the way he came. There was a glint there, all right. It was attached to obsidian-black armor, too, standing in the path he and MK had walked on the way in. Frisk stepped back in shock. _"Undyne…!?"_

" _Undyne…!?"_ MK cried.

He swiveled on his heel, but in his excitement, misjudged the force and placement he needed to get himself around. MK stumbled to the right and before Frisk even knew what was happening, he saw the little reptile trip...

And fall over the edge.

Faster than his mind could process what he was doing, Frisk lunged out and managed to snag the lower end of MK's shirt, and he now dangled helplessly, upside-down. "Y...Yo…! Pull me up!"

"I'm trying…!" Frisk grabbed MK's shirt tighter. His hands were already beginning to sweat.

"Try harder…!" Frisk slowly released the grip of his left hand and reached down a little further to try and pull MK up. Every inch of his skin was sweating profusely now, but he managed to grab hold again and pull MK up a little bit. He let go of MK with his right hand this time and pulled a bit more. He latched onto his shirt again and almost felt good about himself when he realized his arms were already getting tired.

And to top it all off, his hands were completely slick with sweat.

"H-help…!"

MK's cry snapped Frisk out of his momentary panic and he let go of his other hand pulled again. Dragging MK up this time was slow, but Frisk concentrated. He concentrated _hard._ He was almost there, too.

Almost.

Almost…

Frisk felt his other hand slip and he suddenly lost that concentration and abruptly latched onto MK again with both hands as he felt him slip out of his grasp. Frisk slid forward and he heard MK scream, but it sounded so distant. He tried again, slowly letting go as he pulled up again and grabbed MK's shirt. Now the next hand. He let go…

He felt the shirt slip out of his hands completely.

The next set of events happened so quickly they seemed to blur into each other. Frisk saw MK falling, then he realized he had pushed himself over the edge after him, he'd latched onto MK, and then he angled himself so that he'd take the full force of the impact and not MK. Frisk couldn't help but grimace. This fall _would_ kill him, but luckily death came cheap these days. Well, aside from the gut-wrenching pain of feeling his body shut down and then forcibly kick-start itself up again. So, okay, maybe death wasn't as cheap as he thought.

He didn't really have time to think on it, as he suddenly felt a cannonball slam into his back; he could even hear his spine shatter and his vision went dark. After a few minutes, he lapsed back into consciousness and he could hear a voice.

 _Not dead...yet. Great…_ he thought. The voice sounded familiar though. He tried to place it for a moment before he saw MK enter his cone of sight. Despite the blurriness in his vision, his outline was unmistakable.

Frisk squinted. _Weird..._ he thought again, _looks like he's calling someone...over..._

Before he passed out completely, he was vaguely aware of someone tall and covered in armor standing over him.

* * *

No camera had caught sight of the human since he left the island chain in Waterfall. Alphys bit her lip and clicked her mouse a couple more times. It brought up a new window, focused on the riverbank where the Riverperson was usually found. Nothing there either. She scratched her head. "Uh, gee...th-the human should've...should've passed by here already," she muttered. Alphys pressed another button and the tapes started to rewind. "B-better make s-s-sure, um…"

Not even ten seconds later, she heard someone knock on her door. Well, it wasn't really a knock, more like someone was trying to break it down with a battering ram. Alphys jumped up and immediately ran over, despite her better judgement telling her not to. It was probably Mister Snowdrake or another disgruntled Monster who allowed their father, sister, or other relative to be used in the DT experiments. She tried to formulate a decent excuse for why they were unavailable at the time, but the thunderous knocking at the door startled her too much and scrambled her thoughts.

Maybe she could wing it. It felt like she was doing that a lot lately.

She flung open the door and said, "D-doctor Alphys here, how can…" Her vision started to see nothing but a black steel girder. "I...help…" She followed it up to see Undyne's face, her bright red hair blowing in the warm breeze that was omnipresent in Hotland. Her eyes were sunken and she was frowning as she held a beaten, bruised, bleeding, unconscious Frisk in her arms. "...you…?"

Undyne didn't notice Alphys' head getting shinier from sweat, as she was mostly concentrating on holding Frisk up, and MK hiding behind her leg. She shifted and looked down at him; he hadn't spoke once on the whole walk over to the lab, but his eyes said it all. Undyne glanced back down at Alphys, still frozen to the spot. "We...may need your medical expertise."

* * *

Consciousness slowly lapsed back into Frisk's head, and after a few moments of opening his eyes partway just to close them, and then open them again, he finally focused his vision and turned his head. He was on a bed, sky blue, and _incredibly_ comfy. He frowned slightly and pushed himself into the mattress; it felt much thicker than normal. Actually, it felt much softer than the one in Toriel's house. He turned his head a bit more and saw a desk to his left, and beyond that, a work table. He recognized it immediately and sat up.

Frisk immediately regretted that decision as he felt fire burn through his spine and his lungs, and he cried out and fell back on the bed. Only a few feet away, Alphys had been leafing through one of her books on "human history," and when she heard him cry out, she whipped her head around and her eyes went wide.

Alphys ran back over to Frisk and threw the book on her desk, but she slowed and stopped a foot away from the bed. "Ohmigod…! Okay, okay, uh...j-just lie down for a minute." Alphys paused and corrected herself, "Wait, y-you're already laying down...okay, so just relax, okay…? You were, uh, really banged-up when she brought you in here." She coughed and added, "By 'she,' I mean Undyne, by the way."

 _Undyne?_ Frisk blinked and looked up at Alphys. She was standing over him and rubbing her hands together; one of her many nervous habits. Frisk frowned. _Why would Undyne help me?_

"Oh, uh...I'm A-Alphys, by the way. Royal Sc-Scientist of King Asgore." She blushed a bit. Frisk understood; anyone would take pride in being the Royal Scientist.

"Hi, Alphys," he replied. "I'm Frisk."

"H-hi, Frisk." An awkward silence fell over the two of them, with Alphys glancing left and right, no doubt trying to find something to talk about that wouldn't paint her as a shut-in nerd. "Uh, that kid was worried about you!" she interjected. "You seemed l-like good friends...or at least, he told m-me you were a f-friend of his. He, um, wanted to stay...a-a-and make sure you were okay, but Undyne sent him home." Another long pause. Alphys cleared her throat and declared, "A-anyway, like I said, y-you were...really hurting when you got brought in here...but luckily, I had some spare medicine!" She flashed a big smile and continued, "Y-you broke a few ribs and punctured a...punctured a lung. I might n-not be adept at _healing,_ but give it a few hours, a-a-and you'll be running around like nothing ever happened!" Frisk's eyes fell for a moment; he had wanted to go back to Sans and Papyrus' house before getting in _too_ deep, but now that he was here…

"Okay, but," he began, "can I, um...call a friend first?"

"Uh…" Alphys looked unsure for a minute, but perked right back up and replied, "Yeah! Lemme go get your phone!"

Before Frisk could ask, she hurried over to the down escalator and left the loft, disappearing from Frisk's sight. He heard her claws scratching on the tile on the main floor, then some metallic clanging, a rather loud "Gah…!", a crash, more scraping, some electric zaps, and finally some footfalls as he heard Alphys scurry back up to the loft. When she returned to the bedside, she was holding his phone, except now it was a bit larger and colored yellow. "Wh-while you were out, I, uh, took the liberty of upgrading your phone," she said proudly as she handed it to him.

He smiled at the upgrade and received it graciously. "Thank you," he said as he turned it on. He checked his contacts and found them all intact, as usual. Frisk clicked on Papyrus' number and held it up to his ear. The phone rang once before someone picked up.

"HELLO AGAIN, FRISK! WHAT DOES MY B-F-F REQUIRE THIS DAY?"

Frisk chuckled. "Papyrus, it's only been a couple hours since I last saw you." He wiped his forehead and continued, "Anyway, is Sans with you?"

"HE IS NOT. I IMAGINE HE'S SLACKING OFF SOMEWHERE NO SKELETON HAS SLACKED OFF BEFORE, BECAUSE I CHECKED ALL HIS USUAL SLACKING-OFF SPOTS AND HE'S NOT THERE!" Papyrus cried. "HE'S ONE SHORTER-THAN-AVERAGE, UNSTOPPABLY LAZY SKELETON! WHERE COULD HE POSSIBLY HAVE GONE?!"

Frisk had a couple ideas, but he didn't voice them; he simply covered his mouth and tried not to laugh. "Well, if you find him, tell him to call me back, okay?"

"WILL DO! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!"

"Was that Papyrus?" Alphys asked. Frisk nodded and she continued, "Oh! I-I've, um, heard some things about him b-b-before…" She trailed off, coughed, and said, "A-anyway, you should probably rest and-"

Alphys was cut off by Frisk's phone ringing in his lap, and he wasted no time in snatching it up and hitting the "Talk" button. "Hello?"

"heya. pap said you wanted to talk to me," came Sans' voice on the other line.

Frisk's smile widened and he said, "Yeah! I…" He cut himself off and suddenly glanced over at Alphys, his eyes hardening into a more cautious look. "...I still gotta tell you that story! Y'know, about the cool stuff _I saw yesterday."_

There was nothing but silence on the other end and Frisk was afraid Sans might've hung up for some reason, or worse yet, got cut off by something he couldn't see, but his voice came back. "oh, really? cool. i'm free tonight. then again, i'm free _every_ night, heh heh. where we meeting?"

"Uh, if you could come out to the royal lab, that'd be great," Frisk replied with a sideways look at Alphys. She seemed puzzled, what with the way her head was tilted.

"the lab?" Sans paused and then said, "why not just meet halfway at mtt resort?"

Frisk's brow furrowed. "...I think it's closed off for... _official_ reasons," he muttered.

"mmm...nah, don't think so. The way up's open."

"...It is?"

"yeah, i moseyed by earlier. those two guys in the jet-black armor are gone. think undyne might've told'em to do something more useful than just stand around and look scary," Sans answered.

Frisk was stunned into silence, and silently thanked whatever powers that be that the fall from the bridge had actually helped him. Sort of. His back was still killing him. "Oh. Okay, then," he replied shortly. "I guess, uh...see you in a few hours?"

"sure," Sans said. "what're we thinkin', six'o'clock?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"cool. see ya then."

 _Click._

Frisk lowered his phone and checked the time on it; it was 4:27 pm. He quirked an eyebrow and shrugged absentmindedly. "Wh-who was that?" Alphys asked, "Papyrus' brother…?"

Frisk looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna go out to eat with him at six," he replied nonchalantly.

Alphys bit her lip and started waving her arms in front of her in an effort to dissuade him. "W-wait…! I...I don't think that's such a good idea," she stammered. "I-I-I only got you stabilized a couple hours ago, s-so you shouldn't put any undue...s-st-stress on your body!"

Frisk glanced up at her. "But Miss Alphys, it's just for dinner. We're not gonna be doing anything stressful, just sitting around and talking." Alphys didn't say anything else, but she looked away from Frisk, guilt written all over her face.

"I, uh...d-don't wanna take that chance," she murmured back.

Frisk turned his head slightly and scrunched his eyebrows up to look sad. Alphys looked away quickly and started to sweat harder. Frisk opened his eyes wider and fluttered his eyelashes. _"Pleeeeeeeease…?"_

Alphys didn't say anything for a couple minutes, she only turned away to try and avoid Frisk's gaze, but would glance over her shoulder every now and again to see if he was done being cute. He wasn't. She looked away again, but her resolve was failing...failing…

She took a sideways glance at him and flinched. Gone. "Y-you don't fight fair, huh…?" she asked with a weak smile.

Frisk grinned. "I'm only gonna be able to make this work for a few more years, so I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth," he said cheekily.

"Well...okay," Alphys sighed. She took off her glasses and cleaned them on her lab coat before she said, "J-just don't stay out too long. You'll need to come b-back here and rest until your, um, body can heal properly."

"Okay." Frisk flopped back down on the bed and quickly set an alarm for his phone.

"Hey, Frisk, do you, uh…" Frisk sat back up with his elbows supporting him against the mattress, and he looked expectantly at Alphys. She had one of her claws up in a questioning manner and had a nervous smile on her face before it abruptly dropped and she let her arms fall. "Actually, um...nevermind," she said before she hurriedly walked past him. "I-if you need me, just, uh...just call. I'll be close by! Because it, um...because this is where I live. But you. Already knew that." She coughed and shuffled over to the escalator. "Okay, sleep well," she said curtly.

* * *

He didn't know where he'd been, but Frisk woke up with that tired feeling; the feeling of not knowing why he existed. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and became harshly aware of a loud buzzer sounding off every five seconds, and he clumsily fumbled around on the floor before he found his phone and shut off the alarm, and sat up straight.

There were no sounds coming from the ground floor, so Frisk assumed Alphys was out.

Or working on the Amalgamates. They would have to wait, though. He stumbled out of bed, still dressed in his sweater and shorts, but he found his shoes near Alphys' desk and he slid them on before moving down the escalator and out the stainless steel doors of the lab. Frisk was immediately blasted with a wave of heat that frayed his hair and kick-started his perspiration. He coughed and tried to ignore it as he adjusted his eyes to the light from the magma far below.

And sure enough, the crossroads held nothing. Nothing but a tiny, glowing star on the ground. Frisk stared at it for a minute before he allowed the warmth to enter his body. It felt more dull than before, but he didn't much care. He had to get moving, so he turned and walked north until he found the elevator; Frisk walked inside, selected the third level, and felt the elevator take off. It went left, then right, then down, then up, then right again, then stopped. Frisk frowned; he was certain it had never taken the same route twice in one run. The doors opened, and Frisk disembarked. The heat came back, but wasn't as pronounced, due to the fact the resort had been built so high above what would constitute as "regular" Hotland.

Frisk trudged up to the MTT Resort, standing out like a glittering jewel above the quiet atmosphere of Snowdin and the serenity of Waterfall. He could see, just beyond it, the fiery glow of the magma the CORE stood on top of, siphoning off its energy and turning it into the lifeblood of the Underground, and above that, the lower rungs of New Home. Even from below, it looked majestic; Frisk couldn't see the castle from here, but he could see the city walls, supported with flying buttresses and interlocked with expert stonework. But that came later, and he looked back down. Right now, he had more important things to discuss.

Sans was there, just as usual and right on time. He stood in front of a trellis to the left of the main door, hands in his pockets, a tired expression on his face. It looked like he'd just woken up too, because when Frisk got closer, he suddenly jerked himself upward and opened his eyes, blinked a few times and waved lethargically when he saw Frisk. The kid only grinned and approached him. "hey, you made it. guess this means it's time for the big reveal, huh? how about grabbing some dinner with me first?" he asked.

Frisk nodded enthusiastically and said, "Heck yeah, I'm starving!"

Sans chuckled and turned around. "alright. follow me…" He glanced back and winked at Frisk. "i know a shortcut."

Frisk fell in step behind him without hesitation and they rounded the bend to the left of the entrance. Before they met the solid wall of the resort, Frisk blinked, and just like that, they were in the restaurant inside, standing in the lower-left of the place. He looked up at Sans, who looked down at him and motioned outward, giving him free reign over which seat he picked. Frisk walked ahead and sat down at a table in the middle of the restaurant. Sans stayed where he was, but after Frisk gave him a questioning look, he shrugged, walked over, and sat down opposite him. "you really like this table, huh?"

Frisk only shrugged and said, "Actually, I kinda chose it arbitrarily...the first time...And now it'd feel weird sitting anywhere else."

"hey, i'm not judging." Sans leaned forward and winked. "i don't do that until later." Frisk wanted to smile, but he just really couldn't bring himself to even force it. When Sans caught on, he cleared his throat and said, "so, uh...about staying down here…"

Frisk looked back up at him. His good mood seemed to come back in bits and pieces for changing the subject. "Yeah?"

"whaddaya think you're gonna do?"

"What'll I do?" Frisk repeated.

"yeah," Sans said. "for a living, y'know."

He went silent, pursed his lips, and lowered his head and scratched his chin. "...I, um...didn't actually _plan_ that far ahead," Frisk admitted with rosy cheeks.

"well, i know one way you can start," Sans replied. Frisk looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow and he continued, "maybe tell me the rest of that story and we'll go from there."

The only sounds that reached them were from the other patrons and clinking glasses and plates coming from the kitchen as the wait staff bussed dirty ones in and out. Eventually, Frisk sighed and looked up at Sans from under his long hair. He was smiling, but his eyes seemed larger than normal and extra glossy. "You _really_ got it out for me, huh?"

"what can i say, it's a nice story?" Sans said with a wide grin.

Frisk scoffed once and his smile faded quickly after. "It's about to stop being nice."

Sans didn't say another word for awhile, opting to lean his arms on the table. "well, we gotta wait for our food anyway," he said, "so may as well kill time somehow, right? how much you got?"

Frisk's eyes widened and his hastily rummaged around inside his pocket. "Yeah, I've got...sixty-three gold," Frisk muttered with embarrassment.

"guess i shouldn't put you in charge of helping me pay off my tab, huh?" Sans joked.

"I've been buying snacks just so I can stay alive!" Frisk shot back. "It's _hard,_ man!"

"hey, no worries," Sans said. He then reached into his hoodie and retrieved two brown paper bags, oily-looking from the grease that was leaking through. There was a heavily stylized "G" on them. Sans set one down on his side and the other on Frisk's side. Frisk only stared at it for a couple minutes before he tore it open to see a large order of fries in it, and he looked up at Sans with a smile the could have been seen from the stratosphere. "This _haute cuisine_ stuff ain't my kinda fare anyway."

* * *

⸢ ⸣

He stumbled out of the elevator. Almost over, the end is coming. Just the king to face and then he could leave.

So why wasn't he looking forward to it?

Frisk walked to the bend of the hall and was greeted with a road that led through the middle of New Home, of somber grey and dim lights. The feeling of determination washed over him. It wouldn't be long. He swallowed hard and kept moving up the road. On all sides, he was greeted with stone walls and brick houses. The city felt alive...and dead, all at once. He swore he saw some Monsters on the rooftops, watching him pass; their shapes, he couldn't make out. He didn't have time to worry, though. He had to reach the king.

In time, after what felt like miles, Frisk saw before him a magnificent castle. It looked just like the one he could see from Waterfall, and throwing caution to the wind once again, he charged up to the front door. He slowed, after a moment; the resemblance to the Ruins was uncanny, but he entered the open archway regardless.

Then he had to stop and take everything in.

 _Now_ the resemblance was so blatantly obvious it almost hurt.

The foyer was precisely the same as the one he left behind, save for different paint job and the chain across the bannister that led to the stairs, locked up by two seperate padlocks. Obviously the right way to go. _So I need keys,_ Frisk thought. He glanced around, and was surprisingly tempted to call Toriel's name. He certainly wouldn't try calling the _king's_ name. That was just inviting a bad time to his front door. He scratched his head and glanced around. Everything was quiet, but...he was kind of hungry.

 _To the kitchen, then._ He jogged along into the living room and was truly surprised at how similar it looked to Toriel's house; it even had the same recliner next to the fireplace! He was about to go study the bookshelf when he heard a distinct hopping noise next to him, and when he looked right, he entered into battle.

Except, it wasn't.

He could move his SOUL, but he wasn't even given the option to FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, or MERCY. Instead, the two Froggits that had found him began to talk.

"A long time ago, a human fell into the RUINS," one said.

"Injured by its fall, the human called out for help," said the other.

And then, almost as suddenly as it happened, the two Froggits vanished. Frisk blinked. _I saw that, right?_ he asked himself. _I saw two Froggits just...poof._ He kept looking around for something to denote that he wasn't crazy, but gave up after a couple seconds. If he _was_ crazy, it wouldn't surprise him now. He turned around and headed into the kitchen, which held the same utensils as Toriel's

There _was_ a lime-green key sitting on the countertop, though. And there was a note next to it. Frisk grabbed it off the counter, and it read, "Howdy! Help yourself to anything you want!" His eyes widened. _Well, if the_ king _is offering free food…_

Frisk ran over to the fridge and swung it open.

The fridge is full of unopened containers of snails.

Frisk's face got significantly greener and he closed the fridge door gently, and went back to the counter. He placed the key on his phone's keychain, left the kitchen, and went back to walking the other way when suddenly...

He felt something else approach him, and found himself stuck, facing down two Whimsuns.

"Asriel, the king's daughter, heard the human's call," one said.

"She brought the human back to the castle," the other said.

And they were gone. Just like that.

Frisk blinked, looked around, and quickly hurried back through the foyer and down the hall. He was intrigued by a sign on one of the doors that said "Room under renovations," but otherwise paid it no mind, especially with the green key he could see on one of the end tables.

But before he could reach it, three Moldsmals blocked his path.

"Over time," one said, "Asriel and the human became like siblings."

"The King and Queen treated the human child as their own."

"The Underground was full of hope."

Gone again.

Frisk shook his head and kept moving, snatching the key off the desk and walking to the end of the hall, where there was another room and a mirror. Frisk decided to check his reflection; God only knew he probably looked like he'd been dragged backward through hell face-down.

But...no. He looked okay, all things considered.

Despite everything, it's still you.

Frisk ran back down the hallway and was going to happily shove both keys into the locks, but...that third door intrigued him. It intrigued him enough to take a few steps back and open it up. He started coughing.

The air was musty and stale, like he'd been the first one to open that door in centuries, and everything looked dull from a thick coating of dust. It was obviously a kid's room, though, no amount of dust could hide that. As he wandered in, he could see two gift-wrapped boxes at the foot of the two beds on opposite ends of the room. And what kid doesn't like presents?

He immediately tore into the one on the right, and under the wrapping, found a golden locket in the shape of a heart. It even had the Delta Rune symbol on it. Frisk looked it over, and on the back he found the words, "Best Friends Forever," embossed on the back. It looked pretty nice, so he put it on, and immediately felt stronger, for some odd reason. He then turned his attention to the other box, and hastily ripped off the wrapping paper and ribbon on that one.

That box only had a rusty, worn dagger in it. Frisk picked it up and looked it over before thinking, _Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it,_ and he placed it in his pocket. He stood up and brushed off some of the lingering dust, but before he turned to leave, he noticed something on a nightstand next to the bed on the left. He approached it.

It was a picture frame, when he inspected it closely, and there were four people in it. Two of them were full adults, proud and regal; Frisk recognized one as Toriel, and he assumed the other was Asgore, standing over two children. Asgore must have been laughing, for his eyes were closed and his mouth open, and Toriel was smiling gently down on the two kids in front of her, one hand on each of their shoulders. The child on the right was hiding their face behind a bouquet of yellow flowers. But the one on the left...looked so much more like Asgore and Toriel. Eyes closed. Smiling. Was that...their daughter?

He turned back and walked outside to the chain over the stairs. Frisk inserted each key, and like magic, the chain snapped apart at the crucial links and fell to the ground. Frisk pumped his fist and hurried down the stairs.

He got to the bottom and was about to keep running when two Migosps buzzed by and stopped him.

"Then... One day…" it said.

"The human became very ill," the other said, and the both disappeared.

Frisk paused for a moment to consider their words before he shook his head and thought, _That's terrible,_ before pressing on. He only got a few steps farther before three Vegetoids popped out of the ground.

"The sick human had only one request," one said.

"To see the flowers from their village."

"But there was nothing we could do," the last one finished.

Frisk paused again, a little longer this time, before he sighed and kept moving. Had to find the king. Had to go home. He walked along the narrow path, between grey and cold walls before two Loox crossed his path, and this time he stopped cold, staring at them with wide eyes. He really didn't know if they were going to attack him or talk. He was really hoping they'd attack him; it would break up the monotony.

Wouldn't it?

"The next day."

"The next day..."

They went silent, before only one of them sighed:

"The human died."

And like that, they were gone. Frisk took another breath in and kept marching. He _had_ to find the king. He _had_ to leave. He was stopped by two Snowdrakes.

"Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's SOUL."

"She transformed into a being with incredible power."

Frisk started walking slightly before the two Monsters vanished. Had to keep moving. Had to…

Three icecaps appeared.

"With the human SOUL, Asriel crossed through the barrier. "

"She carried the human's body into the sunset."

"Back to the village of the humans."

He took off again, rounding the bend, only stopped again by three Woshuas.

"Asriel reached the center of the village."

"There, she found a bed of golden flowers."

"She carried the human onto it."

 _Will you_ please _shut up?_ Frisk thought as he walked forward again. _I don't have time for-_

Three Shyrens blocked his path. They never turned their heads to face him.

"Suddenly, screams rang out."

"The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body."

"They thought that she had killed the child."

Frisk ran again. He didn't care if he shoved them out of the way, he had places to be. He had places to be. He had places to be, until he crashed into a line of dummies.

"The humans attacked her with everything they had."

"She was struck with blow after blow."

"Asriel had the power to destroy them all."

Frisk bowled the dummies over and broke into a sprint, stopped only when he ran face-first into a Knighty-Knight, and was held there by Madjick.

"But…" the knight began.

"Asriel did not fight back," said the Madjick.

"Clutching the human…"

"Asriel smiled, and walked away."

And they vanished. Frisk started running again, until he heard the familiar croaking of the Final Froggits.

"Wounded, Asriel stumbled home."

"She entered the castle and collapsed."

"Her dust spread across the garden."

 _You need to stop!_ Frisk screamed in his head. _Stop holding me back!_ He ran and ran, and he could hear his footsteps echo. He suspected he was on a rampart, judging by both it and the wind whistling by his ears. He wondered how he knew if he couldn't see correctly. Three Whimsalot approached him.

"The kingdom fell into despair."

"The king and queen had lost two children in one night."

"The humans had once again taken everything from us."

Frisk ran past them, repeating his goal over and over in his head. _Find the king. Find the king._ He looked up from the ground, realizing he'd been focusing on his shoes, to see three Astigmatisms in his way.

"The king decided it was time to end our suffering."

"Every human who falls down here must die."

"With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever."

Frisk spoke for the first time he'd been in the Underground. Technically, it was more of a scream than actual words, but he opened his mouth. He also put his arm up in front of his face, blocking his eyes, and he was only stopped when he slammed into another Loox. He uncovered his eyes to see a Moldsmal and a Migosp with them. The Monster hadn't even bugged.

"It's not long now," the Loox began.

All at the same time, they said:

"King Asgore will let us go."

"King Asgore will give us hope."

"King Asgore will save us all."

Frisk stood up and shoved them all out of the way. He didn't even look back to see if they had disappeared. He was soon stopped by a Pyrope and two Vulkins.

"You should be smiling, too."

"Aren't you excited?"

"Aren't you happy?"

Frisk ran past them. _Why should I?_ he half-screamed in his head. He kept running until he could _feel_ something in front of him, and against his better judgement, he stopped...and uncovered his eyes again. A lone Froggit was sitting on the ground in front of him.

"You're going to be free."

It vanished.

Frisk blinked and looked around. He had somehow walked up the castle and was now on a rampart on the side, overlooking the entirety of New Home. The sky was dark. There was no sign there had ever been any life here. That whole sequence didn't make any sense, and he'd seen a metal box transform into a limelight-obsessed diva. Why were there monsters in the king's castle? Why were they telling him this story?

He looked down at his sleeve, the blue fabric now a deeper hue. His eyes were stinging.

And why…

Why was he crying…?

Frisk took one last look out across the city before he turned and went inside the castle again, and found himself in a hall lit from the outside by brilliant gold and orange light. He couldn't see the end from here; it was a long hallway. He felt determination wash over him once again, and so he walked.

He felt like he'd been walking for miles, again, and he _still_ couldn't see where this corridor ended. He sighed and lowered his head.

"So you finally made it."

Frisk stopped cold and whipped his head up. In the shadows and fleeting lights, there was something in front of him. Squat and bald, hands in its pockets. _Sans…?_

"The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together...you will determine the future of this world," the mysterious figure eloquated. "That's then. Now…" He took his hands out of his pockets and spread his legs apart slightly.

"You will be judged."

Frisk's eyebrows raised. _Judged?_

"You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned. What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for 'Execution Points.'"

Frisk's eyes widened. Nobody told him it was an acronym. "A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for 'Level of Violence.'"

 _Oh, God._

"A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."

Silence hung like a corpse from a rope.

"...but you. you never gained any LOVE." Sans looked up, and the shadows melted away. Well, the ones on his right side did, still cloaking the left side of his face and body. "'course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. no matter the struggles or hardships you faced...you strived to do the right thing. you refused to hurt anyone. even when you ran away, you did it with a smile. you never gained LOVE, but you gained _love._ does that make sense? maybe not."

Oh, but it made perfect sense.

"...now. you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. your actions here...will determine the fate of the entire world. if you refuse to fight...asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. but if you kill asgore and go home...monsters will remain trapped underground. what will you do?" Frisk would've answered, but he knew Sans could get surprisingly long-winded. "...well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now. but you didn't get this far by giving up, did you? that's right. you have something called 'determination.'"

Frisk's eyes widened. "so long as you hold on... so long as you do what's in your heart...i believe you can do the right thing." His shoulders sagged, and Frisk thought he heard someone sigh. "alright. we're all counting on you, kid. good luck." Before Frisk could move and tell him even a small "thank you," Sans had walked behind a pillar, and Frisk dashed forward to check on him.

He was gone.

⸤ ⸥

* * *

Sans leaned back in his chair, staring at the flat stucco ceiling of the MTT Restaurant, taking it all in. Not even the busy waiters, nor Snowdrake's father producing terrible joke after terrible anecdote could pull him out of his thoughts. When he looked back down he saw that Frisk...had his head on the table, in the middle of his arms. He couldn't tell if Frisk was crying; he didn't sound like it. Sans lowered his head. _must've taken more out of the kid to retell that than i thought,_ Sans said to himself. He glanced back up and lightly tapped Frisk on the arm, which got him to raise his head up. "...hey."

"I'm okay, Sans." Frisk's eyes didn't have the telltale redness to them that made it look like he was crying, but they did seem more...somber. And tired, too.

It took a minute for Sans to find the right words to say, but eventually, he put his elbows on the table and said, "so, lemme get this straight...you're telling me that...king asgore's long-dead kid is act-"

" _One_ of them," Frisk corrected.

" _one_ of the king's long-dead kids is actually a soulless, backstabbing flower and is also the same flower papyrus talks to for advice and encouragement sometimes. and nobody remembers her except the king, the queen, and you."

Frisk sighed and hung his head again. "Except I think Asgore and Toriel would never willingly tell me about her, even though I know the whole story."

Sans paused for a moment and then continued, "and that's why you're still down here. and also why you don't wanna leave; it's 'cause you've got such a bleeding heart that you can't bear seeing someone close to you left behind."

Frisk looked up at Sans from under his disheveled hair. "...If Papyrus lost his SOUL, would _you_ just let him suffer?"

"ya sound like i'm accusing you of highway robbery," Sans replied good-naturedly, though his smile was strained. "...in all honesty, she sounds kinda like she's stuck in my old man's situation."

"...Yeah."

They both went quiet again before Sans decided to break it. "jeez, you look like a wreck," he said.

"I _feel_ like one," Frisk grinned at Sans weakly.

"listen, frisk," Sans began, "i admire you. really, i do. you're not gonna rest until you've given _everyone_ the happy ending they deserve? you're not gonna stop until you've fixed something that wasn't even your mistake to begin with?" He sighed. "that's commendable. heck, that's _really_ hardcore. however, i'd like to put emphasis on one thing..."

Frisk glanced up to see what he feared most. Sans' eyesockets had gone completely black and his grin no longer radiated joy. The empty stare was boring holes in his eyes. "...and that is 'you're _not gonna stop.'_ how many times have you reset already, frisk...?"

He stared, transfixed with fear, into Sans' eyes. "how many, frisk?" Frisk looked down at his plate of half-eaten fries. _"Frisk?"_

"I...I…" he stammered. After a deep breath, Frisk whispered, "...I don't know."

Sans' grin dropped. "...you _what…?"_

"I don't know…" Frisk repeated. He started sniffling and looked up into Sans' eyes, tears starting to leak out of his own. "I...I lost count...I lost count after one-eighty…"

And then the waterworks started, as much as Frisk tried his best to hide them and muffle his sobs into the tablecloth. He could hear Sans speaking over him, but couldn't find the strength to look him in the eye. "...frisk...you realize that all those times you...restarted time...all those memories...all those friendships…" He took a deep breath. "all those futures...are never coming back." He looked up. Sans' eyes were back to normal, but he wasn't looking at him. "yeah, sure, everything might be similar. but it'll never be the _same,_ y'know…?"

Frisk nodded violently, the tears spilling out and down his cheeks. "I know…" he choked, "I know…" He took a deep breath and tried to fight the despair; he never stood a chance. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he repeated into his hands as he cupped them over his face. "I'm _so_ sorry. I just...I just…"

"listen, kid, the truth of the matter is…" Sans paused, looked around, and sighed, "this is kinda my fault, too."

Frisk's head shot up, and he gazed at Sans with eyes wide enough to reflect a galaxy in them. "yeah, you heard me right," he continued, "ever since i met you for the first time...for the umpteenth time in a row, heh...i started to realize that maybe, if i'd been more open about what i was studying, i could've found out about the princess earlier from you. we could've pulled together and stopped your need to reset earlier. so…" He reached behind his head and scratched it nervously. "i'm sorry, too." He was too shocked to respond properly, but soon, the sorrow melted away from Frisk's face and he smiled again. "i'm gonna be spending more time in my old workshop, gettin' things cobbled together and ready," Sans said.

"You're gonna help me save Asriel for real...?" Frisk felt his heart leap into his throat.

"who, me? nah." Sans took in the look of utter shock and disbelief and relished it for a moment before he said, "i'm gonna help you find the guy who's gonna help you save asriel for real."

Frisk's jaw dropped. _"Gaster…?"_

Sans nodded, and he got out of his chair, as did Frisk. "on one condition," Sans said before Frisk could move anywhere else. He stared at Sans for a tense moment before the skeleton said, "no more rewinding time. we're gonna do this clean, even if it takes us a million years to get it right. whaddaya say?" Sans held out his hand, and Frisk considered it a moment before he stared Sans dead in the eye and raced in to trap him in a bear hug. Or at least, as much of a bear hug as a thirteen-year-old's body would allow, and he heard Sans exhale in surprise. And then, Frisk felt his arms wrap around him.

"thanks, kid. knew i could count on you." After another moment, Sans let him go, and they stared at each other a moment before he continued, "alright, you better get back to the lab before alphys thinks i swiped you out from under her."

Frisk giggled and turned around, and with one final wave, he bounded out of the restaurant and MTT Resort as a whole; he could feel the ground practically pushing him away with how light he felt.

* * *

mrw I look at all the angry inbox messages condemning me for liberal use of Rule 63 and conforming to heteronormative standards watch?v=Ju-F0AIBGmg


	8. Heartbreak

Heartbreak

There was dust in his lungs, dirt and pollen in his hair, and blood on his face. Frisk reached up to feel around and found it was coming from his nose. The pain in his back was immense, too, but at least he wasn't dead.

Maybe.

He groaned as he sat up, until he felt his spine catch on fire. Then he screamed and fell back on the soft mound of dirt below him, the flowers buried under his body. He cried out again, a little quieter, before he found the strength to not only sit up, but also stand.

Frisk looked around. He was in a nondescript room, surrounded by yellow flowers, and against the walls stood cracked and decaying pillars. This place must have once been a sort of courtyard in its prime. He rubbed his lower back and grimaced when he felt a small trace of pain shoot up it. The more he looked around, the more it became increasingly obvious that there was no one else in these ruins. It was just him, the bandage on his leg, and the stick he'd picked up on the trail up Mount Ebott. _Well, I_ did _want to disappear,_ he thought.

With nowhere else to go but forward, Frisk picked the stick back up, made sure the bandage was still attached, and sauntered forward; it didn't take him long to come to a large archway chiseled of out of marble that had long since decayed. The symbol at the top did catch his eye, but he thought nothing of it. All he thought about was how to get back up to the sunlight. The next corridor was long, barren, and mostly dark, though the stonework at least denoted the structure had been built to last. Frisk only got about halfway through the hallway before something popped out of the ground in the center of a beam of sunlight that was leaking in. Frisk stopped on a dime and centered it in his field of vision.

It was an adorable yellow flower, with cutesy eyelashes and everything. "Howdy! I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!"

 _Oh God, it talks, too._

"Hmm..." Flowey leaned forward to study Frisk's face, but quickly said, "You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?" She rolled her head around and continued, "Golly, you must be so confused. Someone oughta teach you how things work around here!" Flowey smiled up at him. "Guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!"

Frisk suddenly felt the world...change. Which was odd, because everything around him stayed the same, he just felt...different. He then noticed, when he looked at himself, that his body was, at least partially, transparent, and in his chest was a beating red heart. "See that heart?" Flowey said, as if reading his mind, "That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being!"

Frisk furrowed his brow and took a few steps around the room. The SOUL stayed with him, perfectly in sync with his movements, even when he jumped. "Your SOUL starts off weak," Flowey continued, "but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV." Frisk froze and turned around to stare at Flowey questioningly. "What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course!" She paused a minute, then leaned forward again and said, "You want some LOVE, don't you?"

Frisk was about to say "no," but Flowey cut him off. "Don't worry, I'll share some with you!" She winked at him, even going so far as to stick her tongue out, before Frisk saw tiny white dots manifest in a halo around Flowey's head. "Down here, LOVE is shared through...little white…'friendliness pellets.'" He quirked an eyebrow; Flowey didn't seem to notice, and sent the friendliness pellets spinning toward him slowly. "Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!" she cheered.

Frisk frowned again, but figured if he was going to get handouts, he should take them. He walked briskly up to one of the pellets slowed to a stop as it approached. He actually felt pretty good about what lay ahead now.

...A hope that was promptly shattered along with his train of thought as he understood how it felt to get shot with a rifle; first it felt like he'd been punched, then the burning sensation settled in his gut. He wheezed, doubled over, and fell to the ground. His state of shock prevented him from doing much beyond breathing, and then fully processing the pain he'd been put through. Frisk thought he was going to throw up. _Why, you…_ he thought, considering he was too hurt to use his words. He looked up, thinking the phrase, _cheating, lying, low-brow, backstabbing little piece of shi-_

Frisk's blood froze in his veins. Flowey's expression had gone from happy-go-lucky to a grinning face that shouldn't have even been contained on her tiny countenance. It had extended, making the center of her body look larger than it actually was, her eyes had gone milk-white, and the worst part? Teeth. _So_ many teeth in that wicked smile.

" _You idiot."_ Frisk felt the color draining from his face. _"In this world, it's kill or_ _ **be**_ _killed."_ Flowey's voice had gone from endearing and soft to shrill and mocking. _"Why would_ _ **anyone**_ _pass up an opportunity like this?"_ Before Frisk could ask why, an entire ring of bullets appeared around him, and in his thoroughly weakened state, there was no way he could get out of the way. Flowey's face shifted again, to one of black sclera and a barely-controlled manic grin.

" **DIE."**

The bullets began closing in, and there wasn't anything Frisk could do about it. They were coming closer, steadily, steadily, until…

He saw a warm glow fade in, and before he could understand what was happening, a fireball landed right on top of Flowey, causing her to freak out and dispel the bullets encircling Frisk. Before he could move, however, she disappeared beneath the ground. And as she disappeared, he saw, in the doorway beyond, a tall, humanoid figure; it came to light, revealing a woman with the head of a goat, dressed in a flowing robe and tunic of white and lavender, bearing the same sigil on her chest as the archway to this corridor had on it. Before he could muster his speech, the woman said, "What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth."

Frisk felt vitality come back to him, somehow. He staggered to his feet and took a clumsy step back, to which the woman responded. "Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time."

Frisk paused. _'The first human?' 'In a long time?'_ Where exactly _was_ he…?

"Come!" Toriel said, "I will guide you through the catacombs." She walked ahead of him, into the light of the doorway ahead, and Frisk, having no other direction to go, stumbled forward for a couple steps before he got his footing back. He entered the next room and found himself staring up at the dessicated battlements of a mighty castle. From where he stood, he could see the walls extend to the left and right, locking the crumbling buildings beyond inside them. And he saw Toriel standing at the top of the stairs that led in, and in front of that…

Frisk froze in place, staring bewitched at the burning yellow star on the ground. It was too bright to ignore, and he took another glance up at Toriel; she remained as she was, smiling down at him, silently bidding him to take his time. He looked from her to the star and back again before he approached it slowly, and as he came close, he felt a wave of soothing heat flush through his system. The pain in his back...gone. The fire he felt in his gut when Flowy tricked him...gone. He sighed in relief and stared up.

⭐(The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination. HP fully restored.)⭐

Frisk blinked. The voice in his head he used sounded...different for a moment. Calmer, more collected. He shook his head and hustled up the short flights of stairs to the doorway, and saw Toriel duck inside it before him. He followed her to a mostly barren antechamber, save for six switches in the ground and a lever behind them. She turned around and explained, "Welcome to your new home, innocent one."

Frisk arched his brows and was about to yell "This isn't my fucking home! I'm trying to _get_ home!" but Toriel cut him off again. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." She gestured to the pressure plates beside her, and walked over four of them before throwing the switch on the back wall. The closed door behind her slid open. "The Ruins are full of puzzles," she continued, "ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." Toriel then took her leave, and exited out the back, while Frisk stared after her for a moment and wondered just what exactly he had gotten himself roped up into. He shrugged and shook his head after a moment of stunned silence and was about to follow her when he noticed a plaque next to the door he hadn't noticed before. Curious, he walked over to it, and amazingly, the runes on it had been translated into words he understood.

 _Only the fearless may proceed._

 _Brave ones, foolish ones._

 _Both walk not the middle road._

Frisk scrunched up his face, but no matter which way he read it, it didn't make sense. He hastily moved on to the next room, which was more like a hallway, and Toriel was there, waiting for him. Before he could approach and speak, she said, "To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches." She tilted her head slightly and smiled down on him. "Do not worry, I have labeled the ones that you need to flip." She then walked over to the left and let Frisk do as he pleased, which was to walk up and read the sign that had been to her right. It said, "Press [Z] to read signs!"

Frisk scowled. _Har-dee-har-har,_ he thought as he walked over to read another plaque on the wall; it read, "Stay on the path."

He shook his head and sighed. Useless. Frisk walked back down and over a small aqueduct to find the switch he needed on the far wall, marked with yellow arrows. He rolled his eyes and walked up to it, and when he got closer, he noticed the writing on the wall that said, "Please press this switch. –Toriel." Frisk ignored it and threw the switch. He turned around to see Toriel walk across the room to a couple spike panels blocking the room's exit, so he walked around and over the next aqueduct to the next switch. It was also covered in yellow arrows and writing that said, "Please press this switch, too. –Toriel."

Frisk looked back and scowled at her. _Do I fucking look five years old, lady?_ He threw the switch and the spikes behind Toriel lowered into the floor.

"Splendid!" she exclaimed, "I am proud of you, little one. Let us move to the next room." She disappeared around the corner, and once again, Frisk was left to follow along. He sighed loudly and moved on.

The next room was boringly plain, moreso than the antechamber at the start of the Ruins. The only thing of note was a dummy standing over to the right. "As a human living in the Underground," Toriel explained, "Monsters _may_ attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation."

Frisk whipped his head around to look up at her, his jaw slack. _Excuse me, what?_

"However, worry not!" Toriel continued, oblivious to his shock. "The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict."She walked over to the door on the north side and said, "Practice talking to the dummy."

Frisk frowned a bit and looked over at the dummy. Why this crazy old goat-lady wanted him to _talk_ to someone that was fighting him escaped him; after all, if they were coming to fight, shouldn't he be beating _them_ up in return? Maybe not exactly like Flowey's "kill or be killed" statement (after all, he had no evidence to support that claim yet), but he had to at least make sure they got it through their skulls that he wasn't one to be trifled with. All the same, he approached the dummy, and that feeling came back; the feeling of being confined as the world melted away until there was only himself and that dummy.

You encountered the dummy.

Frisk decided to take a closer look, and found the dummy had "ATK - 0, DEF - 0. A cotton heart and button eye. You are the apple of _my_ eye." He frowned absentmindedly. His inner voice had changed again. Weird.

He waited. For the dummy. For something. _Anything._ When it became obvious the dummy was well and truly, in fact, a dummy, Frisk rolled his eyes

I'm outta here.

He walked away from the dummy and faced Toriel. She looked…

Frisk squinted up at her. He couldn't tell if that was surprise, disappointment, or relief on her face. "...You ran away," she said after a beat. "Truthfully, that was not a poor choice. It is better to avoid conflict wherever possible. That…" She pointed to the dummy, "however, is only a dummy; it cannot harm you. It is made of cotton; it has no desire for revenge…" She looked like she was going to go on, but must have decided against it. "Nevermind. Stay close to me and I will keep you safe."

 _What if I don't_ want _to?_ Frisk cursed at her in his head.

Though he would never admit it, he didn't have a choice. Frisk followed Toriel into the next room, and almost immediately, she turned to him and said, "There is another puzzle in this room. I wonder if you can solve it?"

Frisk wanted to tell her "I'm thirteen," in the most disinterested voice possible, but he elected to roll his eyes and walk forward. Toriel walked along in front of him, into a connecting hallway with another large, faded plaque drilled into the wall. Before Frisk could properly inspect it, he felt another presence nearby, and turned to see…

Froggit attacks you!

Frisk jumped back slightly, but quickly recovered his nerves and CHECKed the Froggit, since he could tell by now that he held the first initiative turn. "Froggit. ATK - 4, DEF - 5. Life is difficult for this enemy." Frisk would have laughed a bit, but then he saw something even more terrifying than the one time he snuck a scary movie out of his hometown's library to watch at home: Toriel suddenly stomped into the scene, glaring like someone had personally insulted her family name, legacy, father's honor, and cooking. And Frisk didn't understand girls all that well, but God forbid you insult their cooking within earshot.

And just like that, he felt liberated. _...I...guess...I won…?_ he thought to himself. Frisk looked back up at Toriel, who returned to the far end of the hallway, near…

Frisk swallowed hard. Near an entire field of spikes on a platform above a pool of water. _What sadistic fuck designed this place!?_ He tried not to think of that for a moment, and glanced at the plaque. "The western room is the eastern room's blueprint," it said.

Frisk thought for a minute. If he was in the middle of two rooms, then his left was...west. East? No, west. Never Eat Sour Watermelons, and all that. So then, that meant the spike traps were to the east. But then, what about the west room made it special? He glanced over at Toriel, waiting patiently for him, a smile on her face. Frisk looked back down and grimaced. He _hated_ asking for help with something he already had figured out, but it was also obvious he was missing something. He walked over to her, and she tracked his movements, but before he could open his mouth, Toriel cut him off. "This is the puzzle, but…" She quickly glanced behind her and then back down at Frisk. "Here, take my hand for a moment."

Before Frisk could properly react, she had reached down and grabbed him by his right hand. He sucked air in through his teeth. The labeled switches? Forgivable. The waste-of-time dummy battle? Understandable. But this?

This was an offense his dignity, his person, and his life's work.

Without properly thinking, he began to try and tug his arm free; either he was weaker than he thought, or Toriel had a much stronger grip than she let on. _I'm not a fucking baby,_ he thought, _It's not like I'm gonna cry if I don't get my bottle, lemme go, lady!_ He kept trying to free his hand, even though he was still walking along through the field of spikes. Frisk didn't really notice or care, just as long as Toriel would let him go and be his own man, not a three year old toddler. Eventually, however, they reached the end of the spike trap, and Toriel finally let him go. He took back his hand and rubbed it on his pants to get all the dirt and germs off, but froze when he heard what she had to say next: "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now."

He didn't know how, but he felt even _more_ insulted than when she'd just up and grabbed his hand and led him on. Before he could properly voice his opinion, however, Toriel turned and walked into the next room, and despite his grudge, he followed. He didn't have anything better to do at this point anyway. As soon as she stopped, he did likewise, and she turned to him. "You have done excellently thus far my child," she said. However, she had a rather subdued, rueful expression on her face. "However...I have a difficult request to ask of you…" She turned away from him; Frisk thought he saw her bite her lip. "I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this." Without hesitation, she took off down the corridor, and disappeared from sight.

Frisk was actually taken aback. He blinked, looked around and thought to himself, _Man for an old goat, she sure moves fucking fast!_ But, after getting over the surprise, he started walking. And he walked. And he walked. He felt like he'd been walking for hours, but on the bright side, he had time to think, and to really take in what was happening. _So, I'm stuck underground...surrounded by Monsters...and I know at least_ one _of them wants me dead. And this crazy old goat lady won't leave me the fuck alone._ He looked up. He could see the end of the room approaching, leading on to somewhere else. Frisk grimaced. _Why couldn't some other schmuck take the fall?_

His thoughts were rudely interrupted when he absentmindedly passed one of the few stone pillars that was still standing after centuries of entropy and Toriel jumped out from behind it. He spluttered and fell backward. "Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you." She gestured to the stone column. "I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me."

Frisk cocked his head to the side. _Lady, it's not so much I was trusting you as I was just trying to find an exit._

"However, there was an important reason for this exercise," she continued, "...to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for awhile."

Frisk sighed in relief, but Toriel didn't notice. "Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself." She obviously didn't _want_ to do that, if the tone of her voice was any indication, but after she thought for a minute, she seemed to have found a solution. "I have an idea. I will give you a Cell Phone." Toriel reached into one of the pockets of her robe and produced a small flip-phone, and handed it out to Frisk. He took it, begrudgingly; he was hoping for something with a few more features than just calls and SMS. "If you have a need for anything, just call," Toriel said. "Be good, alright?"

Toriel left without another word, and Frisk was alone again. He looked around, opting to take in his surroundings for a moment, and saw nothing he hadn't seen before; the same bricks, the same purple stone. He took another quick glance around, shook his head, and walked forward. _I ain't waitin' around here,_ he thought.

The next room was also mostly barren, save for a pile of leaves in front of him and…

Frisk jumped away when he saw the Froggit standing around to his left, and stumbled backward and fell on his rear. The Froggit, to his surprise, did nothing. He would have scurried out of that room like the devil himself was after him, but the ringing from his new phone snapped him out of it. Frisk staggered back to his feet and retrieved his phone from his pocket and put it up to his ear.

"Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you?" Frisk's muscles tensed up and he nearly dropped the phone.

 _Oh, God she knows,_ he thought, mortified.

"There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain," she said. "It would be dangerous to try and solve them yourself. Be good, alright?"

 _Click…_

Frisk slowly took the phone away from his ear and stared at it, long and intently; did Toriel know he wanted to leave the room? It was impossible for most boys his age to sit still for longer than two minutes, and he was no exception. He looked back up, at the stillness of the room (aside from the Froggit bobbing up and down in the corner, of course) and sighed. Well, he'd know when she came barreling into the room, screaming at him like a lunatic. For now, he decided to keep moving forward.

That's all he had going for himself right now anyway. That, and the stick he picked up on the hike up Mount Ebott.

He made his way into the room to the north, and found, to his surprise, a dead end. But it _was_ a dead end filled with candy, if the bowl on the pedestal was anything to go by. A smile crossed his lips and Frisk trotted giddily up to the bowl; it got even wider when he saw the sign that said "Take one." Maybe this place wasn't too bad after all.

You took a piece of candy.

He reached in and arbitrarily chose one with green wrapping, and brought it closer to his face to inspect it.

Monster Candy. Has a distinct, non-licorice flavor.

He raised his brow in acceptance after appraising the candy and put it in his pocket. Frisk was about to leave before another thought crossed his mind: _Nobody's watching me, right?_

He stopped and turned back around to look at the bowl. It was just sitting there, filled with candy...waiting, just _waiting_ for someone to come along and take its bounty. Frisk squinted as he scanned the room for any hidden peepholes, or cameras, or something, before he grinned even wider than usual and trotted back up to the bowl.

"Take one." Take a candy?

❤Yes No

Frisk reached in and snatched up a candy with yellow wrapping.

You took more candy. How disgusting.

Frisk blinked and looked up...then he slowly looked around. _...That's weird,_ he thought, _my inner voice is doing that thing again._ He kept looking over his shoulders for another few seconds before he turned his attention back to the candy and licked his lips.

"Take one." Take a candy?

❤Yes No

He reached back in and took a purple-wrapped candy.

You take another piece. You feel like the scum of the earth.

Frisk froze with his left hand still in his pocket and blinked a couple times; he hadn't even let go of the sweets yet. _Why the hell am I guilt-tripping myself?_ he wondered. _And…_

He looked back down at the bowl. _And why's it working?_ He stayed like that for a long while before he shrugged it off and shook his head.

"Take one." Take a candy?

❤Yes No

❤Yes No

Yes ❤No

Frisk turned around and left the bowl for some other Monster who might have felt hungry, but didn't have access to anything filling for awhile. Still, he wondered how he'd guilt-tripped himself so effectively. Once he was outside, though, he heard the Froggit in the corner croak. It was just meaningless ribbits, but he could have sworn he knew the underlying meaning.

"(Excuse me, human,)" it said, "(I have some advice for you about battling Monsters. If you ACT a certain way or FIGHT until you almost defeat them...)"

Frisk turned, and by now, he stared in wide-eyed amazement at this one Monster he could understand, and who didn't want to fight him. "(They might not want to battle you anymore. If a Monster does not want to fight you, please...)" it continued, "(Use some MERCY, human.)"

Frisk only continued staring at the Froggit for a few moments as he stepped away, and then let his gaze relax. He shook his head and walked over to the pile of leaves. _I'm gonna need a vacation after this,_ he thought. _...But until then, this'll work._ He walked into the leaf pile and began kicking them up, slowly, and without much muscle behind them at first, but the more he played, the better he felt.

It was then he reached down and threw a handful of them into the air, and it took a moment for him to register where the light that came streaming out from under the pile came from.

⭐(Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination)⭐

He felt soothing heat shoot up his back and the strength worked itself deep into his bones. He had to carry on. He blinked the bedazzling light away and stared down it at for a moment. The same shining star under his feet, just like the one he had seen at the entrance to the Ruins. Frisk turned away to look at the archway that must lead forward, or so he assumed. He took one backward glance at the Froggit, the candy bowl, and everything else he was leaving behind.

* * *

His legs felt like jelly. Maybe because of that one Moldsmal he found. Frisk shook his head and thought, _Why...on God's green earth...did I think lying down next to the thing was a good idea...?_ He'd managed to survive (barely), and drag himself along through the myriad of puzzles in the Ruins. Most of them were okay but…

 _Ugh, and that leaf maze can go eat shit, too,_ he thought bitterly.

He pulled himself through a small hallway lined with crawling ivy and even a trellis. Frisk continued forward, especially when he saw an old, gnarled black tree in the hall to his left. He'd leave that for later; he hadn't seen a rest point for awhile, and held out the hope that there might be one up ahead. He stumbled forward into another small room, inhabited by only one Froggit. It struck Frisk as somewhat odd when he saw it, and he turned his head expectantly. Usually, the ones that were just sitting around had something to say, and sure enough, the Froggit croaked, "(Just between you and me…I saw Toriel come out of here just a little while ago. She was carrying some groceries. I didn't ask what they were for...)" It shuddered and finished, "(We're all too intimidated to talk to her.)"

Frisk swallowed. If Toriel was nearby, and she caught, him, he knew he'd _never_ hear the end of it. He nodded at the Froggit as a silent "thank you" and crept forward, toward the door into the next room. He expected to see...well, _something._ But the last thing on that list was a scenic view of the entirety of an old castle, built with faded violet brick. Despite the fact this place was referred to as the Ruins, the castle in front of him seemed remarkably intact. As he walked onto the balcony overlooking the Ruins proper, he noticed something out of place in the corner of his eye, and turned to see a small knife lying on the floor to his left.

Intrigued, he walked over, slowly at first. It was hard to tell if it was a decoy for a trap, but when nothing sprung to life or tired to kill him, he reached down and picked it up.

Toy Knife. Made of plastic. A rarity nowadays.

Frisk looked the toy over; he was surprised, and more than a little disturbed, to find that the blade was a lot sharper than he expected. He furrowed his brow and looked out at the castle in the distance, then back down at the knife, then held up the stick he had moved to his other hand. _...Better have it and not need it, I guess,_ he thought as he put the knife away.

He turned, and made his way back and out of the room with the Froggit in it, all the way back to the crossroads he had seen before, and decided it was time to see what secrets the old black tree held. Frisk stared through the archway at it and then slowly walked toward it, it's twisting bark cracked and sloughing off. He was half-expecting some new type of Monster to appear, one that probably wanted to rip his head clean off his shoulders. Instead, he heard a very familiar voice. "Oh, dear, that took longer than I thought it would."

Frisk's eyes widened. It was Toriel, but he couldn't see where she was; he had a feeling the giant tree was blocking his vision, and sure enough, not even a moment later, he saw Toriel walk out from behind the tree. She had the cell phone up to her ear for less than a second before she saw Frisk standing there, bruised and cut up, before she gasped and nearly dropped the phone as she ran over. "How did you get here my child? Are you hurt?" This question was rendered moot when she took a closer look at him and her gaze hardened as she hissed, "Who did this to you? You will get an apology." The tension hung in the air for a moment before her eyes softened and she admitted, "I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this."

Frisk shot his head up at her so fast, Toriel almost feared his spine would pop out of place. When it didn't, and he remained staring at her wide-eyed, she blushed and looked away from him for a moment. "Err...Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer," she said. "Come, small one!" With that, she turned around and walked back toward the towering structure beyond the old black tree. Frisk, of course, followed her; surprises wait for no man...or child. Though, he _did_ stop at the shining star in front of the entrance to Toriel's house.

⭐(Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins gives you determination.)⭐

He took one more look at the building before him, the spires on the roof falling apart while everything at the ground level seemed far more intact than it should have been if the rest of the area was anything to go by. He breathed in and stepped inside, and was immediately greeted by Toriel standing in the foyer, a stairwell behind her and a living room that came equipped with a recliner and dining table off to the left. Frisk had to guess the kitchen was over there, too, and to his right was a long hallway, sparsely decorated with various flora that he'd never seen before. Aside from that, he thought something about them smelled off, especially considering there weren't even that _many_ potted plants to begin with.

"Do, you smell that?" Toriel asked as if she'd read his mind. "Surprise! It is butterscotch-cinnamon pie!"

Frisk's eyes widened again. _She...made a pie…? Just for me…?_

"I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here," she continued, "so I will hold off on snail pie for tonight. Here, I have another surprise for you." Toriel walked away, toward the rooms, and after overcoming the shock, Frisk followed. She stopped after a moment and when he did likewise, she said, "This is it…" Toriel then took his hand and led him the last few steps up to the first door down the hall.

 _Aw shit, she's gotten too attached to me,_ Frisk thought.

"A room of your own. I hope you like it!" He felt his heart stop for a second, but before Frisk could properly formulate a response, he realized there was light pressure being applied to the top of his head; he almost didn't notice it thanks to his messy, overgrown hair, but when he looked up (only with his eyes, of course), he could see Toriel had her arm extended over his head. She was rubbing his hair.

Frisk coughed, but before he could speak, Toriel's head suddenly perked up and she sniffed the air once. "Is something burning…?" She barely even skipped a beat before she hastily finished, "Um, make yourself at home!" and ran away, back to the kitchen by the sound of her retreating footsteps. Frisk stared off after her, but while he was curious as to what she was making, he was _also_ quite curious to the contents of his new room. He shook his head as he glanced around and opened the door slowly, as if he was a thief coming to burgle a home.

The door opened up with a creak, long, low, and droning. He was surprised they weren't completely rusted in place. Frisk looked up and around the room itself. It was small, but it certainly had nothing on some of the rooms he'd been forced to sleep in before. _This thing's practically a fuckin' mansion,_ he thought absentmindedly as he strode up to the dresser on the back wall. The first thing he noticed was that there was a worn cardboard box to his left, filled with...shoes. He frowned and angled himself away from the dresser to take a closer look; when he did so, he found shoes (obviously), but their sizes varied wildly. The biggest he dug out was a kid's size eight, but that wasn't what simultaneously intrigued him and made him sweat; what he noticed was that every shoe had a manufacturer. They were _all_ from the surface.

He quickly dumped all the shoes back into the box. If Toriel wasn't discussing the fact that she had a bunch of kids living with her at some point, there was probably a good reason and he didn't want to think about it. Frisk went back to the dresser, and all he found were some dumb kids' books and a really dusty photo frame. He glared at it a moment longer before he figured the dust was sentient by this point and elected not to disturb it for fear of retribution by way of a perpetual tickle in the back of his throat. He then checked around the bed, and found some toys...they were all stuffed animals.

 _Ugh,_ he thought, _what a load of sentimental crap. What good's a toy you can only fucking_ hug?

Finally, the bed. Frisk pursed his lips and hopped up, and nearly fell backward; he expected the bed to be soft, but it felt like the mattress was giving out under him. He spluttered and righted himself before he glanced back at the bed, its soft mattress and pillows, and warm linen blankets. Frisk considered for a moment, then shrugged and allowed himself to flop back on the bed, then stared up at the ceiling.

He remained very still, for what felt like hours, and he did nothing but think to himself. _Boy...what an adventure,_ he thought as he closed his eyes. _A hole in the middle of a mountain, a whole different world under the ground, an angry, murderous flower, some old goat lady, Monsters, sentient rocks, puzzles...feels like a dream._

When he opened his eyes again, however, he found the lights in the room were off. He looked around and furrowed his brows. Had he fallen asleep? Strange. He'd _never_ been able to drop off that easily before, and now that he was awake, he realized he hadn't dreamed. Well, maybe that wasn't an accurate description; he felt he _had_ dreamed, but they were so abstract and formless that he had retained nothing upon reawakening. It wasn't a cold, dreamless sleep of, say, falling into a coma, more like...respite after spending a week bedridden with stomach flu.

Even so, he shrugged and kicked the covers off to find, to his surprise, that he was still dressed in his striped sweater and shorts. Toriel must not have wanted to disturb him, but that wasn't the biggest surprise; when he trained his eyes on the floor, he saw a plate. With a slice of pie on it. Frisk blinked the surprise away and then quickly ducked down to inspect it. The pie was tinted cream-yellow, and it smelled of butterscotch...with the slightest hint of cinnamon. And it was still hot.

Before he even knew what he was doing, Frisk was licking his fingers clean of leftover pie, and he suddenly felt better than he _ever_ felt before. It was almost as if the past few hours hadn't even happened, and honestly, if he didn't know any better, he would say they didn't. His back no longer ached. His mind was clear. Frisk felt more alive right now than he had ever felt before in his life; maybe it was because he had found something he had never experienced before. It wouldn't have surprised him, this place felt quaint and homey. And he couldn't explain why, but he thought he heard a music box, softly playing somewhere in the background; he couldn't tell its location by sound alone, in fact, it felt like it was coming from everywhere, but it was a rather soothing melody, so...he didn't mind.

Still, he had things to do, foremost among them was to get out of here. Frisk cracked his neck and carefully walked out of the room, gently shut the door behind him, and wandered over to the living room. He only hoped Toriel could give him accurate directions, if she was as much of a shut-in as he thought. When he entered the living room, he was surprised to find her sitting in the recliner next to the the roaring fireplace, reading. She noticed him almost as soon as he walked in. "Up already, I see?" she asked. "Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many books I want to share! I want to show my favorite bug-hunting spot." Toriel broke eye contact with him for a moment, as if she was sharing the most closely-guarded secret in the whole of the Underground. "I've also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you...but I have always wanted to be a teacher." Frisk shut his eyes and his face scrunched up.

 _Ugh._ Half the reason he came down here was to _avoid_ doing homework. "...Actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising," Toriel continued. **"Still,"** she stated harshly, "I am glad to have you living here."

Frisk glanced up at her and her gentle, smiling face. For a moment he almost felt guilty before he looked behind him and, in a whisper that sounded like he was dying, asked, _"Home…?"_

"What? This...this _is_ your home now," Toriel stated. Frisk noticed she wasn't meeting his gaze, and what look he could make out in her eyes seemed desperate. Maybe even pleading. "Um...would you like to hear about this book I am reading? It is called '72 Uses for Snails.' How about it?"

 _Oh, God no, yech,_ Frisk thought as he shook his head. When he looked back up at Toriel, he thought he saw something different, even though everything about her was exactly the same. Maybe it was the way she was sitting now, straight up and rigid. Maybe it was the look on her face. She was smiling, but it looked...forced.

"...I have to do something," she deadpanned. "Stay here." Without another word, she got up and brushed past Frisk; she didn't even bother returning her book to the shelf, and he saw Toriel march out of the living room and down the stairs in the foyer.

 _Of_ course _that's the way out,_ he thought as he walked after her. He made it to the stairs and jumped down them, two at a time, until he was at the bottom, and he could see Toriel just up ahead.

With her back facing him.

Frisk blinked a couple times in confusion, but approached her all the same, albeit slowly. When he was within a few feet, she said, without turning around, "You wish to know how to return 'home,' do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground."

Frisk sighed in relief. _Thank God._

"I am going to destroy it."

 _Fuck's sake,_ he thought.

"No one will ever be able to leave again," she continued. "Now be a good child and go upstairs."

Toriel walked away without speaking any more again, and though Frisk was dumbfounded for a minute, he shook his head to refocus, and chased after her. He couldn't just _let_ her take away he freedom like that. After a few more feet, he saw her again, still facing away from him. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate." Her voice sounded much more dour than before "I have seen it again and again. They come..."

Frisk quirked an eyebrow. _Is that why there were so many shoes in that room?_

"They leave…"

 _Well, okay then, I'm not an unusual case, why don't you-_

"They die." She glanced over her shoulder ever so lightly to reveal her disdainful frown

 _...Oh, crap._

"You naive child...If you leave the Ruins…" She trailed off and faced forward again before she said, "They... **Asgore...** Will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?" Frisk remained silent; what could he say?

"...Go to your room."

Toriel walked ahead, and after overcoming the surprise, Frisk ran after her. He found Toriel again at an elbow connector, and she was facing straight down the adjacent hallway. Even when he approached, she would not look at him. "Do not try and stop me. This is your final warning." She walked away again, her chin held up and her eyes stone cold and focused ahead of her.

She left him behind again, and this time, it took Frisk more willpower than usual to force himself to follow her. And in truth, part of him really didn't want to...but the other part of him…

The other part of him didn't come this far just to turn back.

Frisk marched ahead, for what felt like miles, until he found Toriel standing in front of a large door, carved of purple stone and emblazoned with one of the odd crests on some of the archways in the Ruins. "You want to leave so badly?" Her voice snapped Frisk out of his marveling at the surroundings, and she continued, _"Hmph._ You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this."

Frisk raised an eyebrow again. _Don't like the sound of that._

"Prove yourself…" She half-murmured. "Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."

Frisk suddenly felt something weighing himself down; his limbs felt heavy, his heart felt weak. In a sweeping flourish, Toriel spun around, her dress flowing through the air briefly before it settled down.

Toriel blocks the way!

Frisk wasted no time in CHECKing her. "Toriel. ATK - 80, DEF - 80. Knows best for you."

Before he could even process what was happening, he suddenly saw fireballs light up on all sides. The walls, the floor, the ceiling...everything, coated in the dancing shadows made by flame, and as Toriel spread her hands out, more fireballs came spilling out of them. Frisk barely had any time for his reflexes to take over as he began to duck and weave through fireball after fireball, although he did get burned on his right arm and the side of his face. He was pretty sure his hair was on fire now, but he'd have to take care of that later. The onslaught stopped, and Frisk debated whether or not he should talk to her or spare her. After all, the Froggit told him Monsters might not want to fight. Toriel was a Monster. There's really no difference. He stood up straight and spread his hands out.

Toriel's gaze relaxed, though she remained silent, and a smile began creeping across Frisk's face...until he saw another bolt of fire come sailing toward him. His eyes dilated and he ducked as fast as he could; he was lucky it managed to only sear him lightly.

 _Oh, she's serious about this,_ he thought. _Okay. I can be serious, too._ Frisk reached into his pocket and when he felt the Toy Knife, he pulled it out, stepped forward, and swung.

It landed, and he saw a small gash open up on Toriel's shoulder; it seemed to be leaking...some sort of white ooze. Frisk didn't know if he was fascinated or horrified.

Toriel takes a deep breath.

In another sweep of her hand, Toriel manifested a line of fireballs, hovering over both her and Frisk. He stared up at them in wide-eyed awe before he realized they were moving. Specifically, coming straight for him. He sucked in his breath and scrambled off to the side, and most of the fireballs missed him; he could feel the tail end of the line warming up his back, and he rammed into the wall to his right, panting heavily for all of two seconds before another line of fire materialized on the other side of the room and started flying straight for him. Frisk gritted his teeth, and in a move that surprised even himself, he ran directly at them and kicked off the ground as hard as he could. He felt himself soar over the fireballs, missing his SOUL by a long shot, and he landed back on the ground; it wasn't a _graceful_ landing by any means, but it was better than dying. He pulled himself up and ran forward, brandishing his knife.

Another clean hit, another cut, this time across Toriel's forehead. She herself wasted no time in raising her hands up, and they began to glow bright orange. Frisk wondered if she was actually _in_ any pain; if she was, she was hiding it well. The fireballs came from above him, streaming down in a waterfall of heat and death. Frisk furrowed his brow and dove forward, under a barrage of them and popped back up as more fireballs screamed toward him. He clenched his teeth and bent back, and the fire went sailing over him.

Unfortunately, he was no gymnast, and ended up losing his footing. Frisk fell backward as the fire kept coming toward him, and after he glanced back up for a brief second, he hissed in fear and pressed himself back down to the ground again before the fire finally let up, and he staggered to his feet. He looked up at Toriel, the cuts in her robes and skin, and he gripped the knife tighter in his hand. One more solid hit should do it. He stepped forward, wound his left hand up behind the right side of his head to strike…

There was no other way forward.

He had no choice.

He heard the blow echo, even without much reverb, and a deep gash formed on the left side of Toriel's abdomen, cutting deep into the robes she wore. Finally, her pain showed through, and she gritted her teeth and collapsed to one knee. "Urgh…"

Frisk's eyes widened. _I...I did it,_ he thought. _I beat her. I won!_

"You are stronger than I thought. Listen to me, small one...If you go beyond this door, keep walking as far as you can. Eventually, you will reach an exit."

Frisk's smile suddenly disappeared, and he leaned on one leg and pouted, ever so lightly. _Well, that doesn't help,_ he thought to himself, _that's about the most vague set of directions I've ever heard. Can't she guess I won't know the way?_ He ruminated on it a minute, then dropped his expression. He guessed it didn't matter, since she could just keep giving him directions when he reached a crossroads. He looked back down at her, still kneeling and breathing heavily. And then, for the first time since he fell, he felt something worming its way into his heart, and he felt his heart sink.

 _She's...she's gonna be okay, right?_

" **Asgore...** Do not let Asgore take your soul," she warned, her breath raspy. "His plan cannot be allowed to succeed."

No. No, no, no. She was going to be okay.

...Right…?

He continued staring down at her. The toy knife in his left hand was being clenched so tight the plastic was under the threat of melting; Frisk took a couple tentative steps forward, his free hand stretched out, reaching for Toriel...wholly unsure of what to do next. But then, she looked up at him, and he froze on the spot. When she spoke, her words were no longer rasping, but weak. He could practically see them shaking unsteadily.

"Be good, won't you?"

And then Frisk felt his skin grow cold when she smiled at him.

 _"My child."_

Frisk didn't even get the chance to speak before her body completely dissolved into a fine power, every inch of her breaking down into dust. All that was left was a small, off-white, upside down heart; one that looked exactly like his SOUL, but hung upside-down. He stared at it for a moment, and then, against his better judgement, reached out to touch it.

His hand didn't even get halfway toward it before he saw it crack down the middle…

And shatter into a million pieces.

The next time he blinked, Frisk wasn't sure what had happened, and he wasn't sure how much time had passed until he looked down and saw the small mound of dust in front of the door out. He blinked again, and then looked from it up to the door, then back down to the dust. Wordlessly, emotionlessly, he reached out and pushed the stone slabs apart, trying not to step on Toriel's remains.

The hall he entered was much like the one he first found Flowey in, except this one was longer. He marched forward, his mind racing even faster than when he fell; it got to the point that when Flowey popped up in front of him, he thought he'd gone back to before he'd even met Toriel in the first place, and his pupils shrunk and he fell backward.

" _Hee hee hee."_ Flowey raised some extra parts of her stem out of the ground as if to appear taller. "I hope you like your choice. After all, it's not as if you can go back and change fate," she said. "In this world, it's kill or be killed."

Frisk had no answer or rebuttal. Instead, he hung off every word that came out of Flowey's mouth. "That old hag thought she could break the rules. She tried _so hard_ to save you humans. But when it came down to it..." In a flash, Flowey's face contorted into that same hellish grin he first saw when he fell down, and she giggled, _"Hee hee…_ **She couldn't even save herself."** Flowey rolled her head around and chuckled before she looked back up at Frisk with those dead, black eyes and hollered:

" **What an idiot!"**

And then, just like that, Flowey was gone. Frisk had blinked, and she just...vanished, though he assumed, for a moment, that she'd only just ducked under the ground again. And then, it was him.

So utterly alone.

He remained there, in that hall, for minutes on end. He himself couldn't tell if he had been standing around for hours, days, maybe even _years..._ there was no sun or clocks near him to measure time by. But then, finally, he felt his legs give out from under him, and his psyche did likewise as he bent his neck forward to cry into his hands. The fact that he, a mere thirteen-year-old child, had taken the life of someone else, fully willingly, came crashing down on top of him. His sobs echoed off the walls of the corridor.

 _I don't wanna be here!_ he screamed in his head.

 _I wanna go home…!_

There came a loud, horrid ringing in Frisk's ears, and it made him grit his teeth and curl himself up into a ball. He shut his eyes as the pain got worse, and he thought he heard what he guessed was a vacuum. A loud vacuum. The pain slowly intensified, but when Frisk was certain his head was going to burst, it all dissipated like steam.

And he opened his eyes.

The more he looked around, the more it became increasingly obvious that there was something well and truly wrong here. _...What the hell…? What happened to me?_ He stared, wide-eyed around the room; it looked so much like the entrance to Toriel's house, and he glanced around. Behind him was an old, decrepit black tree, it's leaves falling off even as he stared at it, and directly in front of him, having regained its brightness, was a small, twinkling star.

Frisk stared at it for minutes on end before he almost threw himself through the front door, and was only stopped because he didn't want to collide with the figure standing almost directly in front of him. When he looked up and took everything in, he realized...it was _Toriel_ who was standing over him. _What…? But I…_

"Do, you smell that?" Toriel asked. "Surprise! It is butterscotch-cinnamon pie!"

Frisk felt his heart freeze solid in his chest. Why was she repeating what she'd said earlier? What was happening?

"I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here," she continued, "so I will hold off on snail pie for tonight. Here, I have another surprise for you." Toriel walked to the right, leaving Frisk alone and dumbfounded, in the foyer. _No way,_ he thought. _No fucking way._

Nothing about this situation made sense. Toriel should be dead; he'd killed her with his own bare hands, hadn't he? But here she was. Frisk stared down at his shoes. The only way this could be possible is if he somehow traveled back in time, but that in and of itself was _impossible._..wasn't it…?

Frisk shook his head. He had no other theory to go off of, so time travel it was. And in all fairness, he _was_ in a world of Monsters and magic, so maybe the truth wasn't _that_ far off. He glanced back up and followed Toriel.

The only way through this rabbit hole was down, apparently.

* * *

He met up with her in the hallway, just like before. "This is it…" Toriel then took his hand and led him the last few steps up to the first door down the hall. "A room of your own. I hope you like it!"

Frisk stared at the door for the few moments of silence he had, and when he felt Toriel stroking his hair, he found himself inadvertently leaning into her. Toriel's head suddenly perked up and she sniffed the air once. "Is something burning…?" She barely even skipped a beat before she hastily finished, "Um, make yourself at home!" Frisk stepped aside and watched her go, and kept his eyes trained on where she'd disappeared into the kitchen before he sighed and opened the door to the room again.

Everything was where it should be. The bed, the dresser, the box of shoes, and the stuffed toys. Frisk trudged over to the bed and jumped on top of it, splaying his arms and leg out to the side as he left his heartbeat and breathing slow down.

He was going to need this.

This door had to crumble. It would take awhile, but Toriel knew she could do it, if the child didn't try poking his nose where it didn't belong. Unfortunately, once you speak of the devil, he shall appear, and Toriel could hear the sound of child's boots _*clack, clack, clack*_ -ing on the stone floor. She didn't face him; she could only find the strength to sigh deeply and glance over her shoulder to see Frisk.

"There is only one solution to this," she began. "Prove to me you are strong enough to survive!" She almost turned around completely if it wasn't for what she noticed on Frisk's face; his eyes looked about as big as one of her pie tins, and the corners of his mouth seemed to be stuck in a perpetual frightened grimace. "...wait...why are you looking at me like that?" she asked. "Like you have seen a ghost."

Frisk didn't answer.

"Do you know something that I do not?" Toriel paused a second before she shook her head solemnly. "No..that is impossible."

And here was that same sinking feeling; his limbs felt heavy, his heart felt weak. In a sweeping flourish, Toriel spun around, her dress flowing through the air briefly before it settled down.

Toriel blocks the way!

Frisk stood up as straight as he could and CHECKed. "Toriel. ATK - 80, DEF - 80…"

"Knows best for you."

And then, in a flash of light, the walls, the floor, the ceiling...everything, coated in the dancing shadows made by flame, and as Toriel spread her hands out, more fireballs came spilling out of them. Frisk was better at dodging them all now, though that didn't mean he was a machine; he got close to getting singed once or twice. He was pretty sure his hair was on fire again, but knew nothing would come of it. The onslaught stopped, and Frisk stood up straight and spread his arms out.

Toriel's gaze relaxed, though she remained silent. Frisk remained motionless until the fire came pouring back out of her hands; he ducked through them and sprad his arms out again. Toriel still didn't make any sound and transitioned into her next attack, and Frisk dodged around it all again. He ended by standing up straight and spreading his arms out.

Toriel seemed puzzled. "What are you doing?" That was meant to be rhetorical question, if the fireballs that came streaking toward him next didn't make it obvious. Frisk ducked under a few, but got part of his leg roasted. Still, when he righted himself, he made no move to attack.

"Attack or run away!" Toriel raised her arm and traced a semicircle in the air, and a line of fireballs came flying toward Frisk. He wound left, right, over and under until the fire stopped coming. He did nothing but SPARE.

"Attack or run away!" she cried again. Another wave of fire that Frisk had to dodge through. He made it, somehow, and responded to her by SPAREing her again. He only hoped he was doing this right.

"What are you proving this way?" Toriel threw another stream of fireballs at Frisk; he was lucky to get out with only a small burn on his arm. "Fight me or leave!"

The next onslaught proved to be more difficult than Frisk expected, and about halfway through weaving in between the fireballs, he got hit squarely in the chest with one and it sent him flying back. His chest was now on fire, literally and metaphorically, and he staggered to his feet. He had nothing to heal him, save for maybe the butterscotch pie slice he saved. He looked up at Toriel, and dead into her eyes.

She was noticeably off-put. "Stop it." More fire, and Frisk came close to being hit once more, but he made it through, and when it was all said and done, he stood up straight and gazed desperately into Toriel's eyes. "Stop looking at me that way," she demanded. Her voice had no confidence behind it, and neither did the fireballs she threw at him. Maybe. Frisk found it was hard to tell in his weakened state. When he finally stood up again, he did nothing but spread his arms out.

Toriel was utterly silent for a long time, and for a moment, Frisk thought the battle was good and over, right up until she spoke again. "I know you want to go home, but…" Her voice was shaky. "But please...go upstairs now."

Frisk held his ground, and the fire came back out of her hands and encircled him. And to his surprise, that was all it did; encircle him. The flames never once threatened to touch him, and knowing something was changing filled him with…

He frowned. Resolve? Will? Either way, he'd come too far to back down now."I know we do not have much, but...we can have a good life here," Toriel pleaded. The flames came back, and once again, they failed to even warm his face. After he looked around at all the fading fireballs, he spread out his arms, more steadily now, and puffed his chest out.

"Why are you making this so difficult?" she asked. "Please, go upstairs."

Frisk shook his head. The fire came and went and didn't touch him. He SPAREd Toriel again. Her expression shifted to a rather...pouty face, if one could call it that. It managed to surprise even him. And then, just to hammer in said surprise, she laughed. Though, it was more of a low chuckle than a laugh, and completely without mirth, but it was something. "Ha ha...Pathetic, is it not?" she mused. "I cannot even save a single child." Toriel paused for a long time, and Frisk braced for the inevitable wall of fire.

But it never came. "No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them." Toriel's expression was...unnervingly serious. "It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this."

"My expectations...my loneliness...my fear…" she sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before she stared back down at Frisk. "For you, my child...I will put them aside."

Frisk felt the weight on his SOUL being lifted, and Toriel turned back around to look at the door. Neither of them said anything for awhile, for what _could_ be said after such an exchange? Frisk was about to walk by her, since he guessed Toriel didn't want to talk to him about his decision, before she spoke to him again. "If you truly wish to leave the Ruins...I will not stop you," she said at length. "However, when you leave...please do not come back." He flinched. For some reason, those words wounded him. "I hope you understand."

Before he could nod and carry on, Toriel turned around, knelt down, and...embraced him. Frisk's muscles tensed up and he remained frozen there, with Toriel's arms wrapped around him. He debated returning the hug, but by the time he awkwardly realized he should, she had let go, and was smiling down on him. "Goodbye, my child."

She left quickly and without another word, and Frisk watched her go. A very small part of him regretted that decision, but, again, it was a _very_ small part. He turned to face the heavy-set stone door, and after a few tentative steps, he forced it open and walked into the hall beyond. By now, he knew what was waiting for him, but it didn't make it any less tense wh nFlowey popped out of the ground in front of him.

"Clever. _Verrryyy_ clever," Flowey said with a subtle smug smirk on her face. "You think you're _really_ smart, don't you? In this world, it's kill or be killed. So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. _Hee hee hee…"_ Her mouth split into a sadistic grin and continued, "But don't act so cocky. I know what you did."

All at once, Flowey's face shifted into a miniature mockery of Toriel, and Frisk's shoulders tensed up.

" _You murdered her."_

Frisk's heart skipped a beat. _She...she remembers?_

He was about to just book it when Flowey's imitation suddenly went off-center, twisting Toriel's smile to make her look like she was in pain, and her eyes widened to sickening levels, paralyzing him with fear. "And then you went back because you regretted it. Ha ha ha ha...You naive _idiot."_ Flowey dropped her imitation of Toriel in favor of the usual evil grin and eloquated, "Do you think _you_ are the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world...purely by your own determination. The ability to play God!" Flowey leaned forward, closer to Frisk; he tensed up and retracted away. "The ability to 'SAVE.' I thought _I_ was the only one with that power. But…"

Flowey glanced off to the side, is if only _pretending_ to be ashamed. "I can't SAVE anymore. Apparently **your** desires for this world override **mine."**

Her grin widened to impossible proportions again. "Well, well," she chortled, "enjoy that power while you can. _I'll be watching."_

And she was gone again, just like that. Frisk had seen her burrow back underground, but somehow, knowing the little flower didn't just teleport away was so much _worse_ for some reason. Frisk breathed deep to try and steel himself and he staggered forward, toward the light shining ahead of him that lead outside to God-knows-where. He wasn't looking forward to whatever was beyond it, but right now, he didn't have a choice.

* * *

A/N: Adapting RPG combat into text is hard, yo.


	9. Impasse Imperfect

Impasse Imperfect

 _This rhythm game is pretty neat._

Frisk had spent the night in Alphys' laboratory after leaving MTT Resort, and had gone to bed earlier than he expected, despite Alphys telling him it was "totally cool if he wanted to stay up late and eat cookies." A tempting offer, but the past twenty-four hours had left him horribly drained. When he woke up, Alphys was already busy making breakfast...of pancake-flavored ramen noodles. He didn't hate instant ramen, but he passed on the offer; he'd take a Glamburger over that any day of the week.

Once he'd eaten two stale bags of chips (along with nutritional supplements provided by Alphys to aid in healing his bones completely), he got a call from Papyrus, and to make a long story short, he and Alphys arranged for him to go home later in the day. An hour later, Frisk found an odd program on Alphys' computer, and when he asked her about it, she explained that it was called _"isa!"_ It was a rhythm game that had no actual goal other than to get a high score and impress other Monsters with hand-eye dexterity; with no other options available to him, Frisk decided to give it a go.

Before he knew what he'd done, it had been three hours and he was now able to play through one whole song almost flawlessly. It was called "Renegade." This was his thirty-sixth try, or at least he thought it was. He'd lost count.

Speaking of losing, Frisk slipped up his concentration for one moment, and his hand jerked abruptly to the right, thanks to his iron grip, in the exact opposite direction it should have gone. His score multiplier got reset and when he noticed, he gritted his teeth and paused before slamming the desk with one hand. It didn't take much for Alphys to notice.

"Oh, gosh...!" She paused for a moment to study what Frisk was doing before she continued, "Um...are you okay, Frisk?"

"Yeah. Sorry," he replied. "I just got a little...carried away."

"Oh, uh...n-no problem!" Alphys replied. "Uh, truth be told, I wouldn't mind if you...if you broke that mouse. Uh, I've b-been thinking about getting a n-new one for...for awhile."

Frisk shrugged nonchalantly and would have gone back to playing if his phone didn't start ringing. He had two guesses as to who it was; either one was bound to come get him later on. "Hello?" he said as he put the phone up to his ear.

"HELLO AGAIN, HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed from the other end. "TELL ME, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR WHAT I SHOULD PUT IN TONIGHT'S SPAGHETTI? IT IS FOR, ERM…" He trailed off. "A VERY SPECIAL REASON THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE TO DO WITH YOU COMING HOME TONIGHT. YOU CANNOT PROVE ANYTHING."

Frisk chuckled into his hand, but quickly adopted a more serious tone. "Uh, not really…?" he replied.

Papyrus was silent for a moment before he heard him mutter to himself. Frisk could practically hear the gears grinding. _"HRMMMM..._ THEN I CAN ONLY SUPPOSE I MUST...WAIT, HOW DID SANS PUT IT?" he asked himself. "'BOUNCE IDEAS OFF OF YOU?' SEEMS A BIT DANGEROUS! I MEAN, HOW HEAVY CAN THOUGHTS BE? DO THEY EVEN BOUNCE, FOR THAT MATTER?"

"No, Papyrus, Sans is right," Frisk replied casually. "...I just can't imagine how high the phone bill's gonna be after this," he joked.

"IT WILL BE EXACTLY ZERO GOLD, FRISK! BECAUSE I AM ALREADY HERE!"

"...Seriously?"

The door to Alphys' lab flew open as Papyrus barreled inside, still holding his phone up to where his ears should be. "INDEED!" he exclaimed loudly. Frisk almost threw the receiver away from his head, considering Papyrus had not only belted his voice across the room, but was doing so with his own phone up to his mouth. The _only_ thing that was half as loud as that was trying to open a pound cake tin in the middle of the night. "QUICKLY!" Papyrus continued, "WE HAVE SPAGHETTI TO PREPARE...! OH, HELLO THERE, DOCTOR ALPHYS!"

Alphys had ducked down to avoid anything that might fly at her head. When she looked up, her face was rose-colored, as if she couldn't decide on being embarrassed or petrified. "...H-h-hi, Papyrus…"

* * *

Papyrus and Frisk had gone home quickly after that, or more accurately, Papyrus had carried Frisk home. Under his arm like a package, no less. Frisk would have been a bit more indignant if he didn't find it kind of funny, along with being impressed Papyrus carried him like that all the way from Hotland back to Snowdin. He'd taken the Riverperson's boat instead of walking the whole way, yes, but still...impressive.

"AND HERE WE ARE!" Papyrus declared as he skidded to a stop in front of his house. "MY HOUSE! AGAIN! EXCEPT NOW IT'S YOUR HOUSE, TOO!" He dropped Frisk, who was utterly beaming, and they both walked in to find…

"oh, hey, guys. didn't think you'd be home this early," Sans said as he leaned on the entrance to the kitchen. He looked down at Frisk and asked, "feelin' better, kid?"

Both Papyrus and Frisk were surprised to find him here, but Frisk spoke up first. "Yeah! Way better!"

"AND I AM FEELING BETTER NOW THAT FRISK IS FEELING BETTER!" Papyrus added. "OH, THIS IS GOING TO BE SO GREAT! I FINALLY HAVE SOMEONE AROUND THAT I CAN TUTOR IN THE ART OF MAKING SPAGHETTI! AND THE FINER POINTS OF CREATING THE MOST MIND-NUMBING PUZZLES KNOWN TO MONSTERKIND!" he paused to take a breath before he finished, "WOWIE...! I HAVEN'T EVEN _DONE_ ANYTHING WITHFRISK YET AND I FEEL EXHAUSTED!"

"what am i, chopped liver?" Sans asked with a wink.

Papyrus whipped his head around and squinted at him a moment before answering flatly, "I _TRIED_ DOING FUN THINGS WITH YOU ONCE, BUT _SOMEONE_ KEPT FALLING ASLEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF MY LESSONS."

Sans shrugged. "meh, you can't _prove_ it was me."

" _SANS!"_

He chuckled, as did Frisk, before he sighed happily and continued, "anyway, we gotta focus on the important things right now anyway."

"...What's that?" Frisk asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Sans look back up at papyrus and said, "where's the kid gonna sleep? we only got our two rooms."

The three of them fell silent for only a second before Papyrus exclaimed, "I KNOW! THE HUMAN CAN SIMPLY USE MY BED, AND I! SHALL USE THE COUCH!" He settled down from a heroic stance and added, "UNTIL WE CAN...ERM, BUILD A NEW ROOM, I GUESS."

Frisk frowned. He wasn't going to throw doubt on Papyrus' offer being genuine, but in all honesty, he wouldn't care about sleeping on the couch. "What? No!" he replied, which earned surprised looks from both Sans and Papyrus. "I'm not gonna just... _take_ your bed! I can sleep on the couch for as long as I got to! Really!"

"NONSENSE!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I KNOW A LOT ABOUT HUMANS THANKS TO THE SNOWDIN LIBRARY, AND I KNOW THAT FIRST AND FOREMOST, HUMANS NEED A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO SLEEP!" He pointed back at the couch. "THAT COUCH MAY _SEEM_ COMFY, BUT IT IS A HORNED DEVIL IN DISGUISE, I TELL YOU! IT EATS MY SPAGHETTI WHEN I AM NOT LOOKING! ONCE, IT _ATE_ THE TV REMOTE!"

Sans leaned in and whispered, "he still doesn't suspect i swiped it to change the channel away from mettaton's show for a couple days," into his ear. Frisk nearly broke out into a giggling fit.

"THEREFORE, YOU SHALL USE MY BED! THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN HANDLE A HUNGRY COUCH, AND I DO NOT WISH TO SEE MY LITTLE HUMAN BROTHER FALL VICTIM TO IT!"

"Seriously Papyrus, it's fine!" Frisk protested. _"I'll_ sleep on the couch!"

"NO!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"No!"

"YES!"

"No!"

"YES!"

"No!"

"YES!"

"No!"

"YES!"

"No!"

"ENOUGH!" Papyrus cried, which managed to make even Sans flinch a bit. "IT IS DECIDED! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL CONTINUE TO USE HIS OWN BED, AND FRISK WILL SLEEP ON THE COUCH! AND THAT'S _FINAL!"_ Silence returned to the house, although Sans seemed to be grinning a bit wider now that his brother's minor outburst was over. It only took Papyrus a moment to work out what happened. "WAIT... _YOU…!"_ He reared up for a moment, but relaxed after a second and cleared his throat. "WELL, I WAS...JUST ABOUT TO SUGGEST FRISK TRY OUT THE COUCH FOR ONE NIGHT ANYWAY! IF THEY'RE OKAY WITH IT!"

Frisk grinned up at him and ran over to the couch before he threw himself on it. Once he touched down, he felt his body weight sink him into the cushions. It was a lot softer than he remembered or expected; so soft, he could feel himself slowly going _in between_ said cushions for a moment before he stopped sinking and grinned up at the two skeletons.

"...that gonna hit your sleep schedule too hard, kid?" Sans asked.

Frisk shook his head. "Nope!"

Papyrus nodded once and made for the kitchen. "GOOD! AT ANY RATE, DINNER IS ONLY A FEW HOURS AWAY! I NEED SOMEONE WHO HAS AN EYE FOR MAKING SPAGHETTI!" he declared. Frisk wasted no time in jumping off the couch (after some squirming free) and rushing after him.

* * *

Another late night, another long session of research. Alphys thumbed through another issue of _Time Restaurant Delta._ She squinted. She was missing the one hundred forty-fifth and ninth books, but she could piece together what was happening, more or less. Basically, the owner of the aforementioned restaurant, Chikusa Yosome, had been deposed or otherwise exiled in some way by the ancient Demon Archon Tsuchemon (because of the aforementioned issues she didn't have), so now the three leads, Kanenobu, Umame, and Masabi, had to track her down on top of balancing their personal lives, keeping the restaurant afloat, and most dangerously of all, _dating._ "Hmm…" She tapped her chin a moment before she looked back at the paper on her desk. She'd written several paragraphs of her "research thesis" already. "As it stands…" she eloquated to no one but herself in the dim light of the lab, "I have reason to believe...that if we could correctly harness the...gamma beams...of the starlight that...filters in...from the surface…" She paused a moment to scratch her head with the pen. "We could...probably...find a way...to break the barrier…"

She checked the last few sentences she wrote and grimaced. "...I dunno if Asgore will buy that…" she muttered. "But I don't know how else to make it look like I'm busy anymore…" She stood up and kept running through ideas. "Maybe if I...no, that'll be too obvious, um...maybe try to make some sort of...force field…?" She started pacing. "For when we go back to war...ugh, no. B-but I've got to do _something."_

Alphys would have gone over a thousand different options if she hadn't heard something strike the lab door twice, and a voice call, "knock knock," from the darkness. She froze.

"Wh...who's...th-th-th-there…?" she stammered.

"candice."

"...C-C-C-Candice who…?" Alphys turned slowly to see a short, bald figure standing in front of the lab doors, who took his hands out of his sweater pockets and took a couple steps forward.

"...candice door open, or what?" Sans said as the shadows concealing him disappeared. "i tried, but i think it's stuck." Alphys shrieked and jumped back, and she froze herself in a rather awkward pose where she stood on one foot with both arms twisted around to shield her from anything unpleasant. "...weird," Sans said, "your scales just went whiter than i thought was possible. you must not get out much."

"...Are you Sans?" Alphys asked.

"papyrus' bro? yeah," he replied. "sorry about all that. like i said, door was closed and wouldn't budge, so i had to take a shortcut."

"Oh, uh…" Alphys slowly relaxed until she was back into her usual, hunched-over stance. "Right. I, uh...can't afford distractions." She paused before elaborating, "B-but that's not because I'm a shut-in! A-actually, it's um, official policy! I _like_ having company, it's just that...um...it, you know, interferes with work, ha-ha-ha…!"

She trailed off into strained laughter, but Sans didn't seem to care. "hey, i get'cha," he replied, "scientists gotta do what scientists gotta do...whatever it is that they do. i'm really out of touch."

Alphys froze and cocked her head, forgetting all the awkwardness. "...You're a scientist?"

"yeah. and no." Sans paused. "i stopped walkin' that road a long time ago for...personal reasons," he sighed. after another moment, he looked up. "but i decided to come back, just for one last project. and that's why i came to talk to you."

"Me?"

"i need your help."

" _Me…?"_ Alphys cried again. "...Uh, well, actually...okay. I guess. This is totally n-normal, right? Just accepting help from someone I've only heard about in passing who turns up in m-my house at...at _whatever_ time it is at night."

"trust me, you could get roped up in weirder," Sans chuckled. "anyway, i'll cut to the chase...there's an old machine i got lying around that i've wanted to see fixed. problem is, i can't do it. there's just some stuff that's _way_ beyond my mechanical knowledge, what with the electrical rigging, the gear needed, and obviously, who to trust with it. you might even say...it's been a seven _gear_ itch."

"Oh," Alphys said flatly. "Just one machine, though, r-right? Sounds...easy." And _that_ was what she was worried about, although, if she could understand what it was supposed to do, she could probably whip something up. "What's it do, then, Sans?" It was at that point Sans' smile faltered and he looked away. "Uh...Sans…?"

There was silence reverberating off the walls as Sans turned almost completely around. Then, he heard him mutter something. "W-what did you say, Sans?" He muttered something else, a little louder this time, but still mostly unintelligible. "...S-Sans, you're freaking me out, _please…"_

"...i don't know."

The lab went quiet again for a few minutes before Alphys said, "...You d-don't _know?"_

"nope."

"Sans, why-"

"my old man left it behind. said it would come in handy one day, but never left instructions for how to make it work," he explained. "i worked on it off and on for some time before…" He stopped himself abruptly and paused for several seconds before he finished, "before i just kinda gave up."

The lab was silent for a moment before Alphys turned away from him and said, "W-well Sans, I, uh, can see th-this is...really, _really_ important to you, but…" She sucked in a breath; she also didn't notice Sans giving her an aside glance. "But I can't help. Unless, uh, y-you...you know how the machine works," she added quickly, "but even then, I-I-I don't know if I'll b-be all that useful."

More silence. It lasted for minutes; so long, in fact, that Alphys debated with herself if she had said something wrong, but eventually, a voice cut through the dark. "a'right. I understand."

"L-listen Sans, it's not that I d-don't _trust_ you or anything, it's just that I've b-been kind of b-busy lately with my own r-reasearch and development, and I need the time to-" She turned around to face Sans, only to cut herself off when she found that he wasn't there anymore. Alphys' eyes widened and she began to nervously glance around the lab. It was dark. Morose. Hollow. Alone and empty. She sat down at her desk and placed her head in her hands as her breath grew uneven and shallow.

"I can't tell them about the experiments," she whispered. "I can't."

* * *

A/N: Kind of a short filler chapter while I shape up things to come.

"Renegade" made by SharaX: watch?v=pbOz-QrVLWk


	10. Kitchen Krieg

Kitchen Krieg

Silence and warmth. Peace. It almost felt foreign to him as he cracked one eye open. He sat up and stretched, and for a moment, Frisk had no idea where he was; he thought, upon feeling how soft the blankets were and how the surface below him felt, that he was still in Toriel's home in the Ruins. But as his vision focused, he made out the shape of a television on the wall, and bright lights coming from a room to the right. Then he looked down and saw he was on a couch. He quickly remembered he was _not_ in the Ruins, and was instead waking up in Sans and Papyrus' house. It was another morning in Snowdin, according to Frisk's internal clock; he had no idea what the surface world looked like by now, and he didn't really care. All that mattered was that he was where he belonged, with people that knew him and with friends that he loved.

Frisk threw the heavy blankets off and slipped his shoes on as he trotted into the kitchen, where Papyrus was leaning over the stove, covered in pots, perfect for cooking spaghetti. He heard Frisk enter the kitchen and turned almost fully to smile at him. "GOOD MORNING, TINY FRISK!" he exclaimed. "DID YOU SLEEP WELL ON THAT COUCH? YOU ARE STILL VERY WELCOME TO USE MY BED IF YOU WANT!"

"Nope," Frisk replied curtly, "I'm good. Probably the best I've slept in…" He had to pause and think. When _had_ he last slept? The SAVE points he could see revitalized him, but come to think of it, he hadn't actually gone to sleep since...since the night before he first fell. "Forever, I think," he said quietly, as if ashamed.

Papyrus didn't seem to care about his confession, which was slightly relieving, at least. "GOOD! YOU WILL NEED THAT ENERGY TO SAMPLE MY BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI!" he proclaimed. "NOT BECAUSE IT WILL SAP YOUR STRENGTH OR ANYTHING, BUT IT _WILL_ KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! AND YOU WILL NEED BACKUP ENERGY TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY!" As he boasted, Frisk noticed the pot behind him start to bubble over; it only took Papyrus a second to stop short and whirl around before he said, "UH-OH," and quickly threw the pot off the stove and then hurried over to the sink and began draining it.

Frisk noticed, after Papyrus was done, that he put not just marinara on it, but also...syrup and jam. What kind of jam it was, Frisk couldn't read the label, but no sooner was the last drop of jelly out of it's canister than Papyrus picked up two plates of the stuff, one for him and one for Frisk, and slid Frisk's plate to him. He took a quick look at it and shrugged. He'd eaten weirder. "WHAT DO YOU THINK, FRISK?"

"Looks as great as you, Papyrus," Frisk said. The skeleton straightened himself up and beamed while chuckling to himself. "...You know where Sans is?"

"I DO NOT," Papyrus answered. "I'D SAY HE'S BUSY BEING LAZY AGAIN, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM SINCE I WOKE UP! MUST BE EXCEPTIONALLY BUSY DOING SOMETHING EVEN LAZIER THAN I THOUGHT!"

Frisk cast an aside glance out the kitchen window. _Must be working really hard on that machine he has in the workshop,_ he thought to himself. He was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, and, upon noticing Papyrus was already at the stove and cooking again, Frisk jumped off his chair and said, "I'll get it." He marched over to the front door as the doorbell sounded off again, but Frisk paid it no mind. He grabbed the knob, turned it, and opened the door.

And he was immediately greeted with a very familiar black tank top, red boots, and blue jeans. Frisk's eyes slowly panned up to Undyne's face.

 _Uh-oh._

Truth be told, Undyne looked about as surprised to see him as he was to see her. She wasn't so much glaring down at him as she looked like she was trying to figure out why the human who broke his back was in Sans and Papyrus' house. By this point, Papyrus had noticed the silence and exited the kitchen, still holding a pot of spaghetti. "HELLO! THIS IS THE HOME OF THE GREAT...PA...PAY...RUS…" The pot nearly fell out of his hands and he started at both Frisk and Undyne blankly before his brain rebooted itself. He swiftly cleared his throat and declared, "OH, HELLO UNDYNE! WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE THIS EARLY?"

Undyne herself seemed to snap out of her shocked trance and replied, "Right, uh, Papyrus, I've had to scramble some of the detachments today. You and Sans will be patrolling the south side of Snowdin forest instead of the north." She paused and glanced around. "Where _is_ Sans, anyway?"

"HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS!" Papyrus cried as he threw the pot into the air. He quickly realized what he'd done, as his eyes suddenly popped out of his skull and he sidestepped the pot as it came crashing down on the floor, spilling wet spaghetti everywhere. Frisk flinched as he looked from it and slowly back up to Undyne, who was grimacing more out of pity than disdain.

"Well, when you see him, let him know what I told you. It'll last until...about next week," she explained.

"EXCELLENT!" Papyrus exclaimed, "IN FACT, I WILL DO THAT RIGHT NOW!" Before Frisk realized what he was going to do, he could hear the sound of shattering glass and managed to catch the toe of Papyrus' boots sailing out the kitchen window. He looked down at the floor to see no glass and he scrunched his face up. _Why_ did the glass in Undyne's windows do that and not Papyrus'?

Before he could ask himself any more questions, Frisk felt Undyne brush him aside and walk into the kitchen herself, most likely to inspect the damage. After another moment, he shrugged and plopped himself back down on the couch and he turned the TV on. There were only three channels (like how it was back in the stone age), and all of them were related to the MTT brand. Channel One was for cooking, Channel Two was documentaries, mostly on human life or whatever misguided facts came close, and Channel Three was the news as well as public broadcasting services. Frisk always found Channel Two to be more enjoyable, if only to scream at Mettaton (or whoever was hosting) that his facts were objectively wrong. However, he hadn't watched more than three minutes before he saw Undyne turned her head to side-eye him.

"Listen, just 'cause I saved you doesn't mean I want you sticking around. First chance I get, you're coming with me back to New Home. Asgore will decide what to do with you then," she said.

Frisk glanced at her, then quickly looked back at the TV. "...Okay."

"'Okay?' Just _'okay…?'"_ Undyne asked. She sounded insulted. "No begging? No crying for your life?" For a moment, she lost her upset expression and grinned from ear to ear. "No 'fight me one-v-one, nerd?'"

Frisk couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course not," he said. "You'd send me into orbit."

"Fuhuhuhuhu! You're right about that, punk!" She laughed for a minute before her expression fell back to serious. "Wait, what the hell am I doing, talking to you? Sheesh…"

Frisk looked down at his lap and considered his options. He still had to befriend everyone; it was like part of his nature now, but the fact he had thrown everything out of whack meant he couldn't rely on all his old tricks. He furrowed his brows and looked up from his shorts to Undyne, to the stove behind her, and he grinned. He couldn't use his old tricks, but _maybe_ he could use his old knowledge. "Hey, I, um, know you taught Papyrus how to cook."

She whipped her head around and stared at him wide-eyed. _"How…?"_

"He's always really proud of mentioning it," he lied.

Undyne remained stunned for a minute before she coughed and cackled, "...Well! Joke's on him! I can't cook for beans!" Her laughter rang out through the house, and Frisk debated his next action. He'd learned some sparse recipes when he reached the surface when he decided to stay with Toriel. That never lasted. He always felt like he was intruding on someone else's childhood, so he'd reset after awhile. Frisk kept thinking for a moment before he sighed and hopped off the couch and waltzed into the kitchen. Undyne was eyeing him with a mix of suspicion and surprise.

"I...don't know much about cooking either," he admitted as he opened up a few cupboards. Nothing but spaghetti noodles. "But I think I can make some...decent spaghetti."

"What!?" Undyne stepped back and glared at him. "Wait, are you telling me that, just because I'm here with you, you think you can just...act all buddy-buddy with me all of a sudden…?"

Frisk closed the cabinet and ran over to the table and began sliding a chair over to the counter. "Yeah."

"Absolutely **not!"** Undyne half-shrieked. Frisk covered one ear, since he was busy clambering up the counter to check the ceiling cabinets. "The two bone bros may have accepted you, but **I** sure haven't! And it'll stay that way until Asgore gives his opinion on the matter!"

"In that case, let's just pretend, hypothetically, that Asgore pulls a surprise out of his pocket," Frisk said as he rummaged through more boxes of noodles and jars of tomato sauce. "What if he lets me stay?" Nothing worth cooking so far. The spaghetti was always better when Papyrus made it, and he didn't have the patience for it right now. Also, if it went anything like the cooking lesson in Undyne's house, Papyrus and Sans would be homeless for about a week.

Undyne, in response, actually had to lean her weight on one leg as she rested her head on a closed fist. _"'Hypothetically…?'_ Well, if King Fluffybuns _does_ decide you're worth having around, I sure won't have a say in anything." Her one good eye met Frisk's and she glared at him. "But I _still_ won't like it."

"...Hmm," Frisk muttered absentmindedly.

Undyne kept glaring at him until she finally broke the silence again. "What _is_ it with you? I've see humans fall down here before. _None_ of'em were doormats…at least not doormats of _your_ caliber."

Frisk shrugged as he closed another cabinet. "I just don't like fighting anymore."

"For some reason…" She shook her head and huffed. "God, why do I feel like you're telling the truth? I've never even _seen_ you before!" Frisk opened up the last cabinet on his far right, and grinned. "Like, when I was chasing you across that boardwalk? So familiar. And when you were trying to fight me– _trying,_ I'd like to note–it felt wrong. I mean, not like _totally_ wrong, it felt natural, like what I was _gonna_ do, but I guess...out of order…? Jeez, you're a walking-" She cut herself off when she realized Frisk standing right in front of her, holding a box of...brownie mix. "...What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm thinkin' I'm gonna make brownies for Papyrus and Sans!" Frisk declared with a grin on his face. "Wanna help me?"

Undyne stared at him for a moment before she spluttered and shrieked with laughter. "Fuhuhuhuhuhuhu! As if!" She even went so far as to bend over and slap her knee before she continued, "Brownies? _Really!?_ Cooking those is like asking you to fight someone! **You can't do it right!"**

Frisk didn't even flinch at Undyne's mockery; there was more than one way to gut a fish. "What, is it too powerful for you?" Frisk half-taunted. "Is its aura too overwhelming? Would you be…" His grin twisted into something devious as he pointed to the instructions on the back of the box. _"Batter_ off leaving it alone…?"

Undyne remained transfixed on Frisk, staring down at him with her one good eye wide open before she shook her head and replied defiantly, "Not if you taunt me with terrible puns! Alright, punk! Let's see what you got!"

Frisk grinned up at her and ran over to the counter and slid the box on top of it before he ran over to move the chair he used to get up to the cabinets over. Undyne joined him and picked up the box and read the back. "Okay, so what's this thing need?" she asked no one in particular. "Eggs, sugar, milk, butter, yadda yadda yadda, whatever!" She proceeded to rip the box open, grab a bowl from a nearby cupboard, and poured it all out into said bowl. "Human!" she exclaimed. "We need ingredients, stat!"

Frisk saluted and ran around the kitchen. He started cracking open cupboards. It was true that Papyrus only made spaghetti, but as anyone could expect from him, he would often mix different ingredients into his pasta; sometimes, they actually made sense. He rummaged through twelve different cabinets before he had a load of what they needed, and he arranged them on the counter next to the bowl. "Alright…" Undyne cracked her knuckles and grabbed the carton of eggs. She proceeded to open it and throw three of them into the bowl. Yes, shells and all. Frisk was not surprised in the slightest. "Let's get cracking!"

Frisk reached across the counter and grabbed an egg, which he smacked against the rim of the bowl. He did this twice more for the other eggs in the bowl and then opened them up all the wa, and the yolks slid into the powdery mix. "Normally, I would've let that pass, but I don't feel like getting my throat cut up by eggshells," he said good-naturedly.

"W-well...fine, then!" Undyne spat. "Since you're such a stickler, why don't _you_ beat the eggs, then?"

Frisk stared at her for a moment before he reached over to a can filled with kitchen utensils and fished around in it until he had a large whisk; he shrugged. "If you say so," and he stuck it in the bowl.

Press [Z] repeatedly to stir!

Frisk grimaced. _Not funny._

All the same, Frisk went about stirring the eggs. It was tough at first, but that was a given. After about two minutes, Frisk felt the eggs and powder becoming one, and he began to put more power into his left arm as he spun it around the bowl. Undyne saw this, and dashed around him to get to the fridge. Frisk couldn't see exactly what she was doing, but he didn't need to wonder for long; she slammed the door with a bottle of milk in her hand. Frisk kept concentrating on whisking the batter, but it got harder when Undyne ripped the cap off the milk bottle with her teeth and began pouring it into the bowl. While he was stirring, of course.

She seemed excited, at least. "Yeah! Yeah! Beat those eggs! Those eggs were gossiping about you behind your back!" Frisk stirred a little harder as old memories of spaghetti and a broken table resurfaced. "Those eggs **insulted** your best friend!"

Frisk suddenly felt himself whisking harder and faster than before.

For a moment, it was all a blur, but eventually, Frisk came back to his senses to see the batter was, more or less, solid and complete. He could even feel Undyne inspecting it over his shoulder, but she said nothing for awhile. Not until he slowed his arm and lifted the whisk from the bowl, and set the bowl on the counter again. Undyne bent over the countertop and almost shoved her face into the bowl to get a good look. "Well, I'll give you this, punk, ya did good there…" She whirled around and grinned maniacally at Frisk as she clenched her fist. **"But can you handle adding the butter!?"** Before he could even answer, Undyne vaulted over the table and swung the refrigerator door open again, and this time, he saw her throwing plates of spaghetti covered in saran wrap out, along with bones, jars of marinara, that one annoying dog again…

Eventually, she stood back up, holding a tub of butter in her hand. "Fuhuhuhuhu! Got it! Now we-" She stopped herself and suddenly took to squinting at the tub. Frisk couldn't tell what she was looking at; he could barely read part of the label that was facing him. "What the hell!?" she yelled, "This is margarine! NNNNGGGGGAAAAAAHHHH!"

One moment, the tub of margarine was in Undyne's hand, the next it was nothing more than a pale yellow smear on the wall of the living room, next to the door. "Human!" Undyne yelled at Frisk. His eyes widened in shock and he almost started to cower behind the chair. "We have a mission! We need butter! **Right freakin' now!"** Before Frisk realized what was happening, Undyne had gripped his shoulder and was dragging him out the door. "Come on!"

She kicked the front door open, nearly taking it off the hinges, and she kept dragging Frisk behind her. She walked down the main boulevard, but then, she took a right and just like that, Frisk was at a street he had never noticed before. When he looked back, however, he saw the intersection they had turned on, and there _were_ Monsters standing around on the sidewalks; this certainly wasn't a strange pocket dimension like the one he had found Gaster in once.

They kept walking down the road until Frisk could see some sort of...grocery store? That's the best thing he could ascribe to the building. It wasn't supermarket sized, though. In fact, it looked like a larger than normal Snowdin house. Undyne pulled a sharp left and she threw the door open, causing several customers and clerks to jump back and stay out of her way as she marched into the back of the store, where the freezers were. She only let go of Frisk's shoulder when she stopped in front of a dairy section. It was rather hard for Frisk to take it all in; even after some two hundred, maybe three hundred-odd resets, he still didn't understand how Monster food worked. Not for the fact that it wasn't _physical,_ that much was easy to understand, but he couldn't help but wonder...how was it all made? He looked over the bottles of milk and cheese and other assorted goods. Were they synthesized? He scratched his chin and was content to think before he heard Undyne yell and grab his shoulder again. "...Can't **find** it…!" she seethed as she marched back up to the checkout lines.

As soon as she saw a free lane, she strode up to the cashier and demanded, "Hey! We need butter for some brownies we're making, so _where_ is _all of it!?"_

The clerk cowered down behind the register and stammered, "We...W-we're out…"

"What do you _mean_ you're out of butter!?" Undyne yelled.

The poor grocery clerk, some sort of dull maroon lizard wearing a polo shirt and thick-rimmed glasses, stuttered, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Miss Captain...I mean, sorry Undyne, but we...we just ran out, we...I think the stock got miscalculated-"

" **NGGGAAHHH!"**

Undyne picked Frisk up under her arm and charged out of the grocery store and back into the streets of Snowdin Town. "Well, kid, looks like you and I got some walking to do!" Frik himself would have been more indignant if he didn't know Undyne better, and he figured it wasn't a good idea to antagonize her for suddenly being all buddy-buddy with him all of a sudden. Couldn't chance anything at this point, if if he could still SAVE; he was far too scared to try. Anyway, Undyne walked clear out of Snowdin still carrying him, and got almost halfway through Waterfall before she stopped suddenly, shook her head, and kept walking.

"...Something wrong?" Frisk asked.

"No," she replied curtly. Frisk shrugged and shook his head and fell silent again, which lasted all of sixty seconds before Undyne said, "Okay, so you can talk, but I've _never_ heard your name before and it's bugging me."

"Frisk," he said. He smiled, but he doubted Undyne could see it.

Undyne took a quick glance down at Frisk again as she tramped through tall riverbed grasses. "Is...is that _really_ your name?"

Frisk suddenly found his face heating up and dreading what might come next. "...Yeah…"

"'Frisk?'" she repeated with grin plastered all over her face. _"Pffffffffftt!_ What kind of name is 'Frisk?'"

His jaw hung open for a moment before he cried, "A _good_ name! Shut up!" indignantly.

Undyne kept laughing for awhile as Frisk pouted. "Nah, I'm just messin' with you," she chuckled. He was glad Sans wasn't around to see him like this, until a worse idea struck him: what if _Flowey_ was watching him right now instead? He squirmed a little bit to swing his head around, trying to see every possible angle Flowey could take. He didn't see a flash of yellow disappear into the ground, which was good. If events panned out like he hoped–no resets, no dying–and Flowey saw him like this, there was a good chance there would be a lot of teasing directed at him when her form was restored at best, and blackmail at worst. But with Undyne holding him, the best he could do was abide and hope and pray.

* * *

Sans and Papyrus walked back down the main avenue of Snowdin Town to their house, arguing as usual. "SANS, I'VE TOLD YOU THIS BEFORE, BRAIN PUZZLES ARE _NOT_ ACTUAL PUZZLES!"

"brain 'teasers,'" Sans corrected. "and how so?"

"THERE IS NOTHING _PHYSICAL_ TO THEM!" Papyrus cried. "ONE CANNOT SIMPLY _RECITE_ A PUZZLE TO STOP SOMEONE IN THEIR TRACKS! ITS LIKE YOU AND THAT JUNIOR JUMBLE PAPER YOU USED TO TRY AND STOP FRISK! IT JUST DOESN'T WORK!"

Sans reached into his hoodie and pulled out a book and he flipped it open to recite, "and the definition of a puzzle says, 'puzzle: noun. a toy, game, or problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge.' problems can either be physical like a toy or a word problem."

Papyrus reached over and snatched the book out of Sans' hands and took a closer look at the page he was reading. He stopped short and glared down at him. "SANS, THIS IS A JOKE BOOK!"

"but my definition is on point. go look it up yourself."

"OH, FORGET IT!" Papyrus cried as he threw the book into the air and it refused to come back down. "ARGUING WITH YOU IS LIKE ARGUING WITH AN ICE CUBE... _SNOW_ USE!"

Sans chuckled. "good one, bro."

"NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH! _I'D_ CERTAINLY LIKE TO THINK SO," Papyrus replied as he puffed his chest out. They approached their house and Papyrus dropped the subject of their previous argument as he said, "GEE, I HOPE FRISK IS DOING OKAY. I FEEL...KIND OF BAD FOR LEAVING THEM WITH UNDYNE."

Sans would have freaked out more when Papyrus first told him that when he found him on the south side of Snowdin Forest if he didn't know Frisk could make friends by so much as breathing in their direction. "...well, the house is still standing, so i guess it could be worse."

He opened the door to find the house was, in fact, perfectly okay; the _kitchen,_ on the other hand, looked like a war had been fought in it. There was batter of various colors coating the counters and the stove, marinara sauce dripping down the wall, the kitchen table was covered in several layers of flour, sugar, and non-stick pan spray, and in the middle of it all, Undyne and Frisk were punching two balls of dough on said kitchen table. They stopped when they saw Papyrus and Sans, but Frisk waved to them after a minute. "Hi, guys!" His hair was covered in flour as well, on top of batter stuck in it and coating his face and shirt. Undyne didn't look much better; in fact, she almost looked like a walking batch of raw cookie dough.

"...i feel like there's a really good story here, but i dunno if i wanna know it yet," Sans said after awhile.

"Frisk here found some brownie batter in a cabinet and challenged me to swallow my pride make it with'em," Undyne explained with a huge grin showing through the mess of dough on her face. "We had to go get an extra stick of butter, though."

"And it kinda got out of hand from there," Frisk finished.

Sans laughed. "wow, really? i was savin' that stuff for a rainy day. or the next time papyrus got sick, but whatever, i can always get more." He looked up at Papyrus. His jaw was hanging lower than the living room curtains and his eyes were popping out of his head. "...you okay, bro?"

"...I DON'T KNOW WETHER TO BE HAPPY LOOKING AT SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MESS OR CRY ABOUT CLEANING IT UP," Papyrus said.

"Yeah, I kinda figured," Undyne said as she grabbed the still unfinished loaf of dough on her side of the table and chucked it into the oven."But, hey! Since I'm at least partially responsible for this disaster, I'll help you punks clean it up! I'll suplex this mess into oblivion!"

If there's one thing that can be said for Undyne, she was a fish of her word. It did take awhile to scrape some of the harder stuff off the walls and stove, but the kitchen eventually got back to working order. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, especially since Sans was more content "supervising" than actually helping out (but he helped sporadically). It wasn't until early in the evening that they finished most of the work.

Frisk threw himself on the couch, where Sans had stayed most of the day, and let the cushions almost absorb him. Sans peeked over at him with one eye and said, "tired, huh?"

"Try _exhausted,"_ he gasped.

From the kitchen, he heard Papyrus walk out, accompanied by an aroma of tomatoes. "DINNER TIME!" he exclaimed as he sat down on the arm of the couch. Undyne followed him soon after while Frisk slowly pushed himself up and clambered over Sans to get closer to the food. Papyrus handed him one of the four forks he had in his hand for one of the four plates of spaghetti he was balancing on his arms.

"Thanks, Papyrus," Frisk said wearily as he crawled back to his side of the couch.

"DO NOT MENTION IT, HUMAN!" Papyrus declared. He looked up at Undyne with a hopeful smile and held out another fork. "WOULD YOU CARE FOR SOME, TOO, UNDYNE? I KNOW YOU'RE PLENTY BUSY WITH ROYAL GUARD THINGS, SO IF YOU CAN'T STAY, THAT'S FINE! I'LL HAVE THE EXTRAS!"

"Yeah, sorry guys," Undyne began, "but I gotta book it back to New Home and file a couple more reports."

Frisk stopped sucking on the singular noodle that was hanging out of his mouth and his expression fell. "...Awww…"

Undyne glanced down at him for a moment, then back up at papyrus, down at Frisk again, and she said, "Then again, it's not like those reports need to get filed right away," as she sat down on the floor and held out her hands. "Give it here, Papyrus."

They ate for awhile, at least until Sans eyed Frisk and said, "think the real question is, how're we gonna get _you_ cleaned up? it's not like we have a shower or proper laundry equipment in this house." Frisk glanced down at himself. Sans was right, his clothes were still caked with dried batter, as was his hair, and his skin still had some traces of flour on it.

"Uh…" Frisk trailed off. "Is there a laundromat close by?"

Sans shook his head. "closest thing we have to somethin' like that is all the way up in new home, and it costs a few gold to use," he explained. "do i look like i'm made of money?"

"You can't just put it on your tab?" Frisk asked.

"only grillby's does that," Sans said. He leaned over and grinned wider at Frisk. "you gonna get a job to help pay?"

Frisk gritted his teeth and his face flushed red. "Uuuhhhhh…"

Undyne spoke up before Frisk got a chance to explain himself. "Hey, he could join the Royal Guard! We always need new recruits to boss around–I mean, _help train."_ She coughed and grinned to let Frisk know it was a joke, but after a moment she started to laugh. "Man, would you listen to me? If I went back in time and told myself I was gonna end up giving a human a shot at the Royal Guard one day, I would've called myself crazy and suplexed future-me into a coma! Fuhuhuhuhuhuhu!"

Somehow, that suggestion made Frisk more uncomfortable. That implied he'd have to fight someone at some point. "Uhh...no thanks…?" he said tentatively. "I'll, um, find another way to pay you back, I guess.." he said to Sans.

The skeleton only laughed. "i'm just pullin' your leg, kiddo. we got some soap and a washboard, we can go out to waterfall in a couple hours and get you and your stuff cleaned up."

* * *

Undyne left a few hours ago, which left the three of them to their own devices. Sans teleported Frisk out to Waterfall and to a secluded pool where he took a quick bath, sped along quite nicely by a helpful Woshua, and went back home. They spent almost the entire evening watching television after that, until papyrus decided it was a good time for him to go to bed. "YOU TWO HAD BETTER NOT STAY UP TOO LATE!" he called from the top of the stairs. "WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO WORK TO DO TOMORROW! PUZZLE RESETTING! PATROLLING! NONLETHAL TRAP-CREATION! TOO MUCH TO LIST!"

"relax, bro," Sans replied from the couch. He gestured over to Frisk with his head. "kid's practically half asleep anyway."

"Am not," Frisk yawned.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT." Papyrus rolled his eyes and opened the door to his room before he said, "GOOD NIGHT."

"oh, wait a minute," Sans said as he slowly got up off the couch. Frisk, who had been leaning on him the whole time, started to fall over, but he caught himself and looked around before he laid down on the couch fully. "you want me to read to you first?"

Papyrus took a moment to process what he said, but his face lit up after a moment. "THANK GOODNESS, SANS! IN THE HASSLE OF THE DAY, I THOUGHT YOU'D FORGOTTEN! I CERTAINLY DIDN'T, THOUGH!"

"you'd get cranky if i didn't," he replied. "i'll be up in a minute. lemme get the kid situated first."

"TAKE YOUR TIME, SANS!"

Papyrus disappeared into his room and Sans took a few steps into the kitchen after he left. He came back out with the blanket Frisk used last night and he draped it over him. "nice to know you had a productive day. almost like you planned to get friendly with undyne," he said.

"I'll be totally honest; it was a spur-of-the-moment thing," Frisk replied.

Sans shrugged. "coulda fooled me." He disappeared after Frisk blinked and came back a split second later with a pillow, which he gently placed under Frisk's head.

"Hey, did you...talk to Alphys?" Frisk asked.

"...yeah."

His eyebrows furrowed. That wasn't a very confident answer. "How'd it go?"

"she didn't buy it. you're gonna have to do what you did before and break down her walls, too," Sans sighed.

Frisk turned and affixed his half-lidded eyes to his pillow. "She's worried about the Amalgamates," he muttered.

"...those weird things you told me about before in your life's story, huh?" Sans asked. He sighed again and stared ahead. "well...on the bright side, it's nice to know we're not the only ones keepin' secrets, huh?"

There was a long pause before Frisk asked no one in particular, "How am I gonna get Alphys to open up without being...intrusive?"

"hmm…" Sans looked down and stroked his chin for a minute before he said, "think i got an idea."

"Which is…?"

Sans pushed himself up and off the couch and said, "you do you. earn her trust, help her out. like what you've been doin'." He turned walked to the stairs, but he chuckled. "heh. thought you knew better by now."

Frisk chuckled to himself as he felt the tiredness of his body start to melt. "Hey...I know this is out of the blue, but…you know what I always wanted?" Frisk asked sleepily.

"what?"

"I went to a fair on the surface once, and I saw a hot-air balloon ride. I always wanted to ride in a hot-air balloon since then," he murmured.

Sans paused...and laughed. "kid, when we get outta here, i'll do my best to find the biggest, brightest balloon this side of the country for you to ride in. now get some shut-eye."

Frisk barely heard him, for sleep had already laid claim to him. And now, in its vastness he felt himself reaching back, to places he had already explored, things he had already seen. A side effect of his constant repeats of events? Perhaps. No matter what, though, they always felt real...


	11. Pandora's Box

Pandora's Box

 _⌈A long time ago...⌉_

Frisk was abruptly torn out of his thoughts when the elevator alarms started blaring again. He whirled around to see both doors out slam shut and the elevator rocketed itself upward so fast he nearly got pinned to the floor form the vertical g-force. It rose, higher and higher, faster and faster.

He felt his guts pinned against the back of his body, threatening to tear the skin and spill out.

And then, it all stopped.

The elevator screeched to a halt and Frisk was thrown a couple feet in the air from his personal inertia, and then he crumpled to the ground in a mess of limbs.

 _...That hurt._

He slowly got up and dusted himself off and looked around. Everything seemed normal; everything was quiet. When the elevator doors opened, Frisk peered outside cautiously, and saw the wall of Asgore's castle he knew so well. Unfortunately, he was so busy studying it that he didn't notice a creeping vine behind him until it was too late, and the next thing he felt was something slapping him on the back hard enough to send him tumbling out of the elevator. Frisk barely had any time to register what happened, and when he did turn around to ask who'd done that, he saw that the elevator doors had been jammed shut by thorny vines.

Vines…

 _Vines._

Flowey was lurking around. His eyes widened; his friends were in danger.

Without another glance, Frisk turned and tore off down the battlements despite the headache he now had going. Frisk raced to the front steps of the house inside the castle walls that looked so familiar, yet felt so different. He ran through the door, and in his haste, almost didn't notice there was no chain blocking him from the stairs to the throne room, so he nearly ran to the kitchen before turning on a dime, tripping and falling flat on his face, and booking it down the stairs and down the corridor

He rushed past windows and buildings and everything became a blur, until he made it to the Judgement Hall. He didn't even notice the usual parade of Monsters hadn't shown up to tell him their old story this time around; he just ran as fast as he could through the shafts of golden light filtering in from the outside and didn't realize, until after he was out, that Sans hadn't appeared.

Something was horribly wrong.

Frisk turned and continued running, even though his legs screamed out for him to stop, his mind told him that as long as there was a possibility that his friends would get hurt if he slowed down, he needed to keep running. It wasn't that far to the throne room anyway.

When he set foot inside, Frisk found nothing waiting for him except the sound of singing sparrows and the swaying golden flowers underfoot. Asgore was nowhere to be seen.

 _Oh, no._

Frisk power-walked his way to the back of the throne room and into the barrier's antechamber. As he turned right and marched toward the archway inscribed with the Delta Rune, he felt his SOUL swell with renewed vigor.

It was time.

Sucking in a deep breath, Frisk entered the archway, and at first, he was blinded by the pulsing light the Barrier emitted. But his eyes adjusted after a moment, he could see someone standing in his way with their back to him.

"This is the barrier," a familiar voice rumbled.

Frisk frantically searched them with his eyes, until the silhouette became recognizable: the horns, the cape, the pauldrons. He sighed in relief. Asgore was still okay. "This is what keeps us all trapped underground." He paused and Frisk saw him angle his head slightly to look behind him. "...If by chance you have any unfinished business...please do what you must."

❤Continue Go Back

Asgore was silent. Then…

"I see. This is it, then." He turned to face Frisk fully. He still wore the same gentle smile Frisk remembered from before, trying to hide his inner turmoil. "Ready?" There was a click, a whirr, and Frisk saw seven SOUL containers rise up from the floor. One of them remained empty.

(A strange light fills the room.)

(Twilight is shining through the barrier.)

(It seems your journey is finally over.)

(You're filled with DETERMINATION.)

"Human…" Asgore muttered, "It was nice to meet you." He opened his eyes one last time, and smiled. A smile of acceptance. Acceptance of death. "Goodbye." He closed his eyes and lowered his head. Frisk waited to see the blood-red trident fly out from under his cape, and obliterate his option to resolve this fight peacefully.

But he never got the chance.

Before Frisk realized what it was, he saw a warm orange glow appear to Asgore's left, and it got brighter and brighter, until a fireball slammed into him and sent him flying away. Frisk only caught one thing in the whole ordeal, and that was Asgore's shocked expression. And he had to admit, it looked pretty funny. Before he could properly laugh, he saw someone walk into view.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…" Toriel. Toriel had come all the way here...just to protect him? Now he didn't know wether to laugh or cry. "Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian. At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone. But, I could not stop worrying about you. Your adventure must have been so treacherous...and ultimately, it would burden you with a terrible choice. To leave this place, you would have to take the life of another person." Frisk looked down at his shoes. "You would have to defeat Asgore."

He nodded weakly. "However...I realized...I cannot allow that. It is not right to sacrifice someone simply to let someone leave here. Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time? So, for now, let us suspend this battle. As terrible as Asgore is…"

 _What? He's not terrible!_ Frisk honestly wondered how she could say that. Yes, he had declared war on humanity but Frisk knew now that he never had the heart to do so in the first place. "He deserves mercy, too," she finished.

And speak of the devil, Asgore came waltzing back up to the both of them. The fireball must not have hurt him as much as Frisk expected. "Tori...you came back!"

 _Pet names? Ugh,_ Frisk thought.

"Do not 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" she spat. "You pathetic whelp. If you wanted to free our kind, you could have gone through the barrier after you got one SOUL…" She was looking away from him. Frisk couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. "...Taken six SOULs from the humans, then come back and freed everyone peacefully. But instead, you made everyone live in despair...because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping another human never comes."

Frisk felt even his thoughts go silent, and he shot an aside glance at the king. His head was lowered. He thought he saw glistening gemstones in the corners of his eyes. "Tori...you're right…" His voice was deeper than usual; Frisk could feel it laced with the crushing weight of a lifetime of guilt. "I am a miserable creature…" Then, he saw hope fill his eyes as he opened them again and smiled. "...But, do you think we can at least be friends again?"

There was a silence only broken with Toriel sighing. _"No,_ Asgore."

Frisk winced and looked back at Asgore. There was now a cartoonish stream of tears trickling down his face. He squinted and thought, _How are you even doing that?_

The relative quiet was utterly shattered, however, when Frisk heard something screaming at the top of their lungs from the antechamber. Wait, scratch that. Some _one._ Frisk knew only one Monster who could yell like that.

"NGAHHHHHHH! Asgore! Human!"

They all looked back, and from the darkness of the archway, they saw the silhouette of Undyne skid into view and then leap up and into the room, doing air-cartwheels and forward flips the whole way until she landed right in the space between of Asgore and Frisk. She flung her arms out wide and yelled, "Nobody fight each other! Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll...I'll..." Her fierce expression strained as she glanced around, most likely looking for the copious amounts of ass-kicking she expected going on. Of course, upon seeing none, she arbitrarily stared at Toriel.

At least she took it in stride. "Hello. I am Toriel," she said as if nothing happened. "Are you the human's friend? It is nice to meet you."

Undyne straightened up and after a moment of deliberation, but on her best toothy grin. "Uh, yeah…? Nice to meet you!" She dusted her tank top off and when she was sure Toriel wouldn't notice, leaned over to Asgore and whispered, "Hey, Asgore, is that your ex?" He nodded once. "Jeez, that's rough, buddy."

As if on cue, there came the sound of claws tapping against stone, and a few seconds later, Alphys poked her head through the stone arch, probably assuming the worst and that Asgore and Frisk had fought each other to the death already. But she stepped into the light and declared, "H-hey! Nobody hurt each other!"

She froze mid-stride when she noticed Toriel. "Oh! Are you another friend?" she asked. "I am Toriel. Hello!"

"Uh, h-h-hi!" she stuttered back. Alphys was sweating profusely by now, and she leaned over to Frisk and whispered, "(THERE'S TWO OF THEM?)"

Alphys had only started moving toward Undyne's side when Frisk failed to answer when none other than Papyrus barged in and stood shoulder-to-hip with Frisk and exclaimed, "HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE!"

 _This place have an echo?_ Frisk thought to himself. He smiled at his own joke.

"IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE…!" Papyrus continued, "THEN I'LL! BE FORCED!" He stopped short and pointed at Undyne. "TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!"

"Hello!" Toriel said, ignoring Papyrus' bravado.

"OH! HELLO YOUR MAJESTY!" he replied with a small wave. He then bent down to Frisk's height and murmured, _"PSST!_ HEY, HUMAN...DID ASGORE SHAVE…?" Frisk bent over and tried to muffle his laughter. "AND...CLONE HIMSELF?" Papyrus continued as he looked over from Toriel to Asgore. Frisk couldn't help but let a small guffaw escape his mouth.

As if Papyrus' appearance wasn't enough, Sans came plodding through the entryway and stood on Frisk's other side. "hey, guys...what's up?"

Before anyone knew what was happening, Toriel gasped. "That voice…!" She took a couple steps over to Sans and said, "Hello, I think we may...know each other?"

"oh, hey..." Sans answered, not sounding the least bit surprised or uneasy, "i recognize your voice, too."

"I am Toriel. So nice to meet you."

"the name's sans," he replied with a wink. "and, uh, same."

"Oh! Wait, then...this must be your brother, Papyrus!" she exclaimed as she turned to face him. "Greetings, Papyrus! It is so nice to finally meet you!" She paused and continued, "Your brother has told me so much about you."

Papyrus looked down and his cranium began to glow a faint pink. "WOWIE…" he uttered breathlessly, "I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

A wry grin crossed Toriel's face and she asked, "Hey, Papyrus...what does a skeleton tile his roof with?"

Papyrus, in response, tilted his head up and scratched his chin. "HMMM...SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES?" he guessed.

"No, silly! A skeleton tiles his roof with…" She paused, if not to let the happy grin on her face intensify. _"Shin-_ gles!"

"I CHANGED MY MIND!" Papyrus yelled as he threw his arms up in defeat. Frisk was pretty sure he could hear the sound of a boiling tea kettle. "THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!" He could see Toriel and Sans giggling amongst themselves, and Undyne and Alphys looked like they'd been struck by a freight train. Only Agore remained with a glum expression, but Frisk couldn't help but chuckle with Toriel and Sans. All of a sudden, it felt like the oppressive atmosphere from the fight had been utterly eradicated, like it had never been here in the first place.

Still, in the midst of all this celebration, he felt like he'd forgotten something important.

Undyne nudged Asgore in the rib and said, "Come on, Asgore! It's gonna be okay." She then stood on her tiptoes and hooked an arm around his neck and declared, "There are _plenty_ of fish in the sea…" as she gestured out with her free hand across the horizon.

"Y-yeah, Asgore!" Alphys joined in, "Undyne's totally right about that fish thing! S-sometimes you've just got to, uh...s-stop going after furry Boss Monsters and, uh..." She swallowed hard and said, "J-just get to know a really cute fish…?" There was tangible silence for a moment before she coughed and stated, "It's a metaphor."

 _For being brilliant, metaphors aren't your strong suit,_ Frisk thought as he shook his head.

"Well," Undyne said as she let go of the king, "I think it's a good analogy."

"OH MY GOD!" Everyone whirled around to see a leg in a hot-pink boot sticking out from around the corner of the archway. "WILL YOU TWO JUST SMOOCH ALREADY!?" Mettaton called. "THE AUDIENCE IS _DYING_ FOR SOME ROMANTIC ACTION!"

"HEY, SHUT UP!" Undyne yelled back. Mettaton's leg disappeared back around the corner and Undyne snorted, "Man, the nerve of that guy!" with a grin on her face. "Right, Alphys!?" Something in her voice sounded desperate; either way, Alphys didn't reply. She wasn't meeting Undyne's gaze. "Uh, Alphys?"

The silence hung in the air until Alphys answered smally, "No." Before Undyne could ask why, she spoke up again. "He's right." Before Undyne, or anyone, could say anything else, her expression went manic and she shouted, "LET'S DO IT."

Undyne looked like she'd been asked a dumb question on a game show and was looking into some invisible camera. "Well? Uh? I guess? If you want to? Then?" she replied, throwing her arms in the air. In truth, Frisk knew she probably didn't want to be the one who suggested it first.

"Don't hold anything back!"

And they went for it. Slowly.

 _Very_ slowly.

So slowly, in fact, that Toriel ran up to them and broke them up while exclaiming, "W-wait! Not in front of the human!" There was a blush forming on her face, too, borne mostly out of secondhand embarrassment. Still, Frisk couldn't help but cross his arms and roll his eyes. If Toriel thought two people kissing was going to defile his innocence, he had some _bad_ news for her later.

Alphys had been stuck with her lips puckered up for a moment before she said, "Uhh, right! S-sorry, I got a little carried away." Undyne, in turn, was blushing a lot too.

Toriel took a few steps toward the center of the room (well, relatively. It was hard to tell with the barrier still shimmering down on them all), giggling as she did so. "My child," she said, "it seems as if you must stay here awhile." She paused and looked around her before she continued, "But looking at all the great friends you have made...I think...you will be happy here."

Frisk smiled at that. One of the few truly happy smiles he'd ever put on before, all because Toriel was right. The Underground, for all its weirdness, wasn't so bad. In fact, it felt more like a home than the surface did.

"H-hey, that reminds me," Alphys said, "Papyrus, _you_ called everyone here, right? Well, besides, uh, her," she said, nodding to Toriel. "Uh, anyway, if I got here before you...how did you know how to call everybody?"

Papyrus smiled proudly and said, "LET'S JUST SAY…"

"A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME."

Alphys' eyes went as wide as dinner plates. The sweat was coming back, glistening on her scales. "A tiny...flower?" she stuttered.

Frisk felt his heart freeze in his chest, too. _Aw, crap._

Before he could move a muscle, a thick, thorny vine broke through the ground to the left and hurtled at Frisk's friends. They had no hope, even if they had seen it coming. It slammed into them all, first Asgore on the far left, and it roped around them in succession. Frisk could see it stretch taut when it reached the end, and it lifted them up and off the ground. Frisk didn't even know if he'd screamed at it or not; his mind was racing a million miles a minute. How could he have been so _oblivious?_

His thoughts were interrupted when small, yellow flower popped out of the ground in front of him. "You **idiots!** While you guys were having your little pow-wow... I took the human SOULS!" Flowey declared with a wink. "And now, not only are _those_ under my power...But all of your _friends'_ SOULs are gonna be mine, too!" Flowey dropped the nightmare face and giggled. "And you know what the best part is? It's all your fault. It's all because you _made them_ love you. All the time you spent listening to them... encouraging them... caring about them...Without that, they wouldn't have come here. And now, with their souls and the humans' together...I will achieve my _real form."_

" _Real form?"_ Frisk shuddered. He didn't want to see _that_ hellscape again. He stared at Flowey pleadingly. "Huh? _Why_ am I still doing this?" Flowey giggled and continued, "Don't you get it? This is all just a **game.** If you leave the Underground satisfied, you'll 'win' the game. If you 'win,' you won't want to 'play' with me anymore. And what would I do then?"

Frisk only turned his gaze stone-hard. There had to be _something_ he could do.

"But this game between us will _never_ end. I'll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach…" Flowey's face warped and elongated into nightmarish grin. "And then tear it away just before you grasp it. Over, and over, and over…" Flowey took a breath, and then tried getting through to Frisk once more. "Listen. If you _do_ defeat me, I'll give you your 'happy ending.' I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the barrier. Everyone will finally be satisfied. But that **won't** happen. You...! I'll keep you here no matter what!

Frisk suddenly felt his SOUL confined into a box. He could see the ethereal borders surround him, and there was no way to escape. He looked back down at Flowey, this time even more pleadingly than he'd done the first time he fell. Flowey only grinned that same nightmare grin at him and summoned a ring of seed bullets.

 **"Even if it means killing you one million times!"**

 _Aw, double crap._

The bullets came racing in and Frisk felt them rip through his body and rend his SOUL. He felt his HP drop lower. He gritted his teeth and tried to keep the scream inside his throat, only coming out as pained grunts. He looked up and his pupils shrunk. Another ring of them, already closing in, and he couldn't move. They tore through him again, his wounded SOUL bleeding even more. Frisk could barely keep the screams in, and as he looked up one last time, he saw one last ring, closing in on him slowly. This was it. Once he died, Flowey would take his SOUL and use it to obliterate everything.

He really wished it wouldn't end this way, but...he couldn't do much.

And then he felt warm. The bullets had hit him and he was dead, his SOUL forfeit. At least he could be at peace.

"What?!"

Frisk's eyes shot open. That sounded like Flowey, and…

And he was surrounded by a shield of fire. He glanced up at his friends. Toriel, though it was obvious she was in pain, smiled down on him. "Do not be afraid, my child...No matter what happens...we will always be there to protect you!"

Her words struck a chord. Frisk felt his SOUL mending itself, somehow. Flowey ignored her and sent more bullets toward him, only for them to be deflected by a bone and a spear manifested at his side.

Papyrus looked up and put on his widest smile. For Frisk's sake. "THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO...BELIEVE IN YOU!" Undyne was smiling, too, wider than Toriel and Papyrus. She almost looked like she might not be under stress.

"Hey, human! If you got past **me,** you can do **anything!"** she called. "So don't worry. We're with you all the way!"

Sans raised his head and said, "huh? you still haven't beaten this guy yet? come on, this weirdo's got nothin' on you." Something was welling up inside. His SOUL felt renewed...their support, their happiness, their love…

Was now his strength.

Flowey looked more frustrated now. More bullets came in, only to be blocked by a wall of magical electricity on his left and another wall of fire on his right. Alphys called, "Technically, it's impossible for you to beat her…b-but...somehow, I know you can do it!"

"Human," Asgore said, "for the future of Humans and Monsters...! You have to stay determined...!"

Before Frisk could respond, he heard trampling feet and all at once, every Monster from every corner of the Underground had found their place at his side. They called out to him, one after the other.

"Come on, you got this!"

"We're with you, too!"

He didn't know how…

"La la la la!"

"We're counting on you!"

He didn't know why...

"You've **got** to win!"

"This'll be easy for you, come on!"

"You can do it!

"Ribbit."

But he knew his SOUL felt fit to burst. He was stronger now. Frisk raised his head and stared at Flowey, now grinning. He had his friends behind him; Flowey had nothing, and it showed.

"Urrrgh... **no!"** she shrieked. "Unbelievable! This can't be happening! You... **you…"**

 _CLICK_

Frisk's heartbeat froze as he saw time around him stop flowing. _Aw,_ triple _crap._

Flowey's grin twisted into something beyond sadistic. "I can't believe you're all so **stupid."** No one had any time to scream as some sort of vortex around Flowey began siphoning magic. It was loud, and only grew louder. Frisk felt the ground shake, and even the air seemed to crackle with latent magic as is rushed by his ears.

" **ALL OF YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!"**

Louder still. Louder, louder. Frisk tried to reach out for his friends, but his vision was going white, and the pained, terrified expressions on their faces made him terrified in turn. He bent down, covered his ears, and shut his eyes, and prayed, just _prayed_ for it to be over.

And just like that, everything stopped.

Frisk cracked one of his eyes open. He hadn't seen what happened, but judging by the fact that there was nobody left in the barrier's space, it probably wasn't good. Only the low droning of the barrier was there to keep him company...and one figure he didn't notice until he raised his head fully.

She was about his height, maybe one inch shorter, with tan pants and a lime-green sweater sporting several yellow stripes across the middle. She said nothing; she only looked to the left, then right, and then flexed her fingers...and Frisk saw her shoulders rise and fall steadily. Crying? Laughing? He couldn't tell. He felt his mind asking itself questions, like _What do I say? Should I even talk first? Who is this? Is it really Asriel…? Or maybe I'm wrong?_

"Finally." He recognized that voice. The same voice that called him in the True Lab. Soft, gentle, dainty, but more so without the electronic interference from a phone. "I was so tired of being a flower." Asriel turned to face him, and Frisk's eyes widened.

He still remembered the picture in the castle: Asgore and Toriel standing over two children. Asgore must have been laughing, for his eyes were closed and his mouth open, and Toriel was smiling gently down on them. One was hiding their face behind a bouquet of yellow flowers. But Asriel...the same shirt, the same pants, the same eyelashes, the same tuft of hair over her forehead. The daughter of the proudest Monsters in creation.

It was like no time had passed at all.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him...and smiled. "Howdy! Chara, are you there?" she said to Frisk. She placed her hands over her heart and continued, "It's me, your best friend."

Before he could speak, or object that she had his name wrong, a brilliant flash of white light blinded him for a moment, and when he looked ahead, Asriel had changed. Instead of a mere child, she had grown to an adult Boss Monster, wearing a crown of gold, inlaid with sparkling gems cut into the shape of hearts, and was dressed in golden armor, the breastplate bearing the full sigil of the Delta Rune. She floated above him, and her mouth moved, though the words seemed to come from everywhere at once:

" **ASRIEL DREEMURR"**

In one instant, Frisk forgot the events leading up to this. He forgot every past. He forgot the world he left behind. There was only the here and now. And the here and now looked _awesome._

 **" _YEAH…!"_**

* * *

" _ **NO…!"**_

His arms were retracted close to his body, his hands balled into fists. He hoped against all hope he wasn't hearing what he thought he was hearing.

Asriel didn't seem bothered by his outburst and only looked at him with a deep sorrow in her eyes. "Frisk, please leave me alone. I can't come back," she murmured, "I just can't okay?" She turned back to look at the flowers. "I don't want to break their hearts all over again. It's better if they never saw me." Her shoulders rose and fell in time with a deep sigh.

The silence didn't last long as Frisk walked up and grabbed Asriel by the shoulder. She jumped, but didn't push him away. "...Why are you still here?" she asked as she turned her head to look at him. "Are you trying to keep me company?" She looked _so_ defeated. "...Frisk…" She took another deep breath before she continued, "Hey. Let me ask you a question. Frisk...why did you come here? Everyone knows the legend, right...? 'Travellers who climb Mt. Ebott are said to disappear,'" she recounted. "...Frisk. Why would you ever climb a mountain like that? Was it foolishness? Was it fate?"

He nodded once. She didn't notice. "Or was it... Because you...?" She trailed off. Frisk's heart felt heavy, because that wasn't the main reason. "Well. Only you know the answer, don't you...? "I know why Chara climbed the mountain," Asriel continued. "It wasn't for a very happy reason. Frisk. I'll be honest with you. Chara _hated_ humanity. Why they did, they never talked about it. But they felt very strongly about that."

Frisk did feel like that was entirely justified. But now wasn't the time to reminisce on the past. He had to get Asriel home. With enough time and patience, he _knew_ Alphys could cook up a solution, and with the best human minds helping her, salvation was assured. He took another step forward and smiled at her.

When she noticed, Asriel smiled back. "Frisk... You really _are_ different from Chara. In fact, though you have similar, uh," she said as she pointed at his sweater, "fashion choices...I don't know why I ever acted like you were the same person. Maybe...the truth is...Chara wasn't really the greatest person." She looked down at the grass beneath her, and then back up at him. "While, Frisk... You're the type of friend I wish I always had."

Frisk's insides went numb and he felt tears eke their way out of his eyes. Oh, that hurt. So bad.

"...So maybe I was kind of projecting a little bit. Let's be honest. I did some weird stuff as a flower."

That at least got a chuckle out of him. He looked back at her, as she stared up at the hole where all the humans had fallen in. Asriel lowered her head, and Frisk looked on in worry. There was definitely something on her mind. He waited for her to speak; he knew she would.

"There's one last thing I feel like I should tell you." She turned around fully and explained, "Frisk, when Chara and I combined our SOULs together...the control over our body was actually split between us. _They_ were the one that picked up their own empty body. And then, when we got to the village...they were the one that wanted to…"

She went silent for a minute. "To use our full power. I was the one that resisted. And then, because of me, we...well, that's why I ended up a flower."

Frisk shut his eyes tight and tried to breathe steadily. Why was his heart breaking into a million pieces so fast?

"This whole time, I've blamed myself for that decision. That's why I adopted that horrible view of the world. 'Kill or be killed.' But now...after meeting you...Frisk, I don't regret that decision anymore." Asriel brought her head up in a look Frisk had never seen before. It looked like pride. It was a sight to behold, and he felt the heartache ease...but only a little. "I did the right thing. If I killed those humans...we would have had to wage war against all of humanity. And in the end, everyone went free, right? I still feel kind of sad knowing how long it took…" She paused a moment to consider her next words. "...So maybe it wasn't a perfect decision. But you can't regret hard choices your whole life, right? Well, not that I have much of a life left. But that's besides the point."

 _Please don't say that,_ Frisk lamented in his head.

"Frisk, thank you for listening to me. You should really go be with your friends now, okay? Oh, and, please...in the future, if you uh, see me...don't think of it as me, okay?"

 _Absolutely not._

"I just want you to remember me like this." She gestured down, to her body. "Someone that was your friend for a little while. Oh, and Frisk...Be careful in the outside world, okay? Despite what everyone thinks, it's not as nice as it is here. There are a lot of Floweys out there. And not everything can be resolved by just being nice. Don't kill, and don't be killed, alright? That's the best you can strive for."

She turned back to the flowers, silently watching them dance in the breeze. Then, she looked over her shoulder, and smiled. A weak, sorrowful smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Well, see you."

He didn't even know what he was doing. All he knew was that everything was passing by in a blur and when he looked up, Frisk found himself leaned over a rock at the rock puzzle. He looked down to see its surface stained, and his eyes stung and he felt tired. There was no one else there. No Toriel. No Sans. No Papyrus. No anyone.

No Asriel.

Summoning whatever strength he had left, Frisk pushed himself wearily to his feet. They felt unsteady, and they burned. He must have sprinted faster than he thought. He trudged away from the flowerbed, all the way through the Ruins until he walked back out of the massive stone door at its end. He stopped there, at the edge where the stone met the snow and turned back to the Ruins. He shook his head. _No. This isn't right._

He bent down and sat there, on the stone steps, waiting. Once again, he found he didn't know what to do. Maybe he could wait? Check back on Asriel in a few minutes; keep doing it until she turned again? Better yet, just go back and keep her company until it passed. He quirked an eyebrow. Maybe he could dig Flowey up, put her in a terra cotta pot and bring her up to the surface with him.

"Ugh, no." It wouldn't feel the same. It wouldn't feel _right._ In a dawning of hopelessness, Frisk closed his eyes and leaned his head back, realizing there was nothing he could do.

He felt the wind whistling by his ears, blowing his long hair around gently. Frisk opened his eyes again and stared down. He brought up his hands and suddenly, he felt his path become clear. _No,_ he thought. Frisk stood himself up and glared up at the black sky. _There_ is _something I can do._

He took a deep breath and the wind picked up. Frisk concentrated. He concentrated harder as the cold wind whipped around him, throwing his hair all around and all over his face. He then became aware there was nothing under him, and that he was falling. Falling faster, faster, until he felt something hit his back hard. It stung now. He opened his eyes to see shafts of yellow light filtering down from a hole far, far above where he was. He was surrounded by old, cracked marble pillars on all sides.

Frisk pushed himself up off the grass and yellow flowers. When he saw the room around him, he was disappointed for a moment before he remembered that Asriel wasn't there because she wasn't supposed to be there. Not yet. The nerves in his back flared up at the sudden irritation, but he ignored it as best he could and stood up. He walked forward, toward the archway, and under the sigil of the Delta Rune. The corridor ahead was dark, save for one shaft of light centered on a small patch of grass peeking through the stone floor. Frisk took a deep breath and stepped forward, knowing and embracing his fate.

For this was his curse. Now that he'd opened Pandora's Box, he couldn't forget. He couldn't let go.

* * *

A/N: Ho, ho, ho! Two chapters for Christmas!


	12. nullSpace and Void

nullSpace and Void

"SANS!?" Papyrus poked his head into the kitchen. No one was there. "SANS!?" He walked over to the couch and lifted one of the cushions up. "FRISK!?" Nothing was there except a single gold coin and some stale popcorn. "SANS!? FRISK!? WHERE DID THOSE TWO DISAPPEAR TO?" he asked himself. "THEY CAN'T BE PREPARING A SURPRISE PARTY FOR ME, THE LIGHTS WOULD HAVE BEEN OFF! SANS! FRISK! COME OUT OF HIDING THIS INSTANT! I AM NOT FINDING THIS VERY FUNNY! IN FACT, IT'S VERY WORRYING! SO COME OUT RIGHT NOW!" He threw the front door open and marched outside, cupped his hands to his mouth and called, "SANS! FRISK! SHOW YOURSELVES THIS INSTANT!"

"Oh, hi Papyrus!"

Papyrus froze a moment and looked around before he called again. "FRISK, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ARE TALKING TO ME, BUT I DO NOT APPRECIATE TALKING THROUGH AN INVISIBILITY SPELL!"

He heard Frisk laugh. "Up here, Pap!"

He turned himself around and looked up. On the snow-covered roof was Frisk on a sled and Sans right behind him, holding him in place. Papyrus' mood immediately shifted from concern to panic. "SANS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE!? AND WHY IS FRISK WITH YOU!?"

Frisk grinned down at him and declared, "The nearest hill to go sledding on is a twenty-minute walk from here, so I decided to just sled off the roof!"

"WHAT!?" Papyrus cried, "THAT HARDLY SEEMS SAFE! SANS, WHY ARE YOU HELPING THEM!?"

Sans only shrugged. "what can i say? seemed like a cool idea; the kid talked me into it."

"SANS, YOU'RE A BAD INFLUENCE!"

"More like 'rad' influence! Let'er rip, Sans!"

Sans let go of the back of the sled, letting Frisk slide forward and down the roof. He started to shout excitedly until the sled dropped off the edge and down to the ground, and as luck (or dumb luck) would have it, his sled hit a snow bank made hard by refreezing, and his sled veered off to the right, into the trees behind the houses on the main street. "...Uh-oh!" The sled kept moving, faster and faster, through the rows of trees that Frisk had never ventured into before; soon enough, they were all blazing past him. He didn't know how exactly, but he imagined it had something to do with magic, most likely imbued in the sled. That seemed to be the cause of a lot of weird things in the Underground anyway. After a few moments that felt like several minutes, Frisk realized there was one singular fir tree a dozen or so feet ahead of him, and it didn't seem very adamant on getting out of his way.

"...Aw, shi-"

He barely got through his curse before the nose of the sled collided with the tree trunk. It flung snow, pine needles, and loose plastic around the immediate area, as well as Frisk, who tumbled unceremoniously through the air and smashed face-first into the ground. He was lucky it was snow-covered; anything less would have been far more pain-inducing. Frisk picked his head up and shook his head to help wake him up and try and get some of the stinging pain out. He pushed himself to his feet, wobbled a little bit, and looked around. He wasn't deep into the forest, but it would take some walking to get back home; he could barely see the lights of the town at the edge. He huffed and rolled his shoulder to get the kinks out and started walking. He walked for only a couple minutes before he felt the sneaking suspicion, in the back of his mind, that someone was following him.

Frisk stopped and turned around. Slowly. When his cone of vision was halfway between Snowdin Town and the back of the woods, he saw something on the ground. Small and yellow. He swallowed and debated turning around fully, until he realized the yellow color wasn't vanishing, so he turned all the way and was greeted with Flowey. She wasn't bobbing up and down. She wasn't talking to him. She was just sitting there. She wasn't even smiling. It chilled his bones.

"...Flowey?"

It was only then she decided to smile at him. Not the malicious smile she used when revealing her true nature at the beginning and end of every adventure, just...smiling at him. Casually. He would have thought it more terrifying if it didn't quickly morph into the smile of a child who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and didn't care.

"...Flowey...what are you doing?"

Flowey's smile widened and turned into the malicious grin she usually sported. Frisk felt his heart skip a beat.

"What are you **doing?"**

She only snickered at him. "I heard you and smiley talking a couple days ago," she divulged. "You don't think resetting anymore is a good idea, huh?" Flowey broke out into a fit of sinister giggling, only stopping briefly to comment, "Glad you finally see things _my_ way."

Frisk kept staring at her wide-eyed before he whispered hoarsely, _"What did you_ do…?"

Flowey just started cackling. "Hee hee hee… _EEYAH HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"_ She kept laughing, and it grew louder and more shrill, as she twisted around, as if trying to jump for joy but was limited by being a plant stuck in the ground. Her convulsing reached a fever pitch. _"AAAAAHHH, HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!"_

Flowey stopped abruptly and dove back under the snow, leaving no trace she had ever been there in the first place, leaving Frisk behind to stare at where she had been in shocked silence. He remained there for a moment to try and wrap his head around what Flowey meant, but all he knew for certain was that it was nothing good. He suddenly felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him back. "FRISK, I UNDERSTAND THAT SLEIGH RIDE WAS PROBABLY A LOT OF FUN, BUT I DO NOT THINK IT WAS WORTH LAUGHING THAT HARD OVER!" He turned back and his voice became noticeably softer. "I THINK YOU SHOULD SEE DOCTOR ALPHYS AGAIN, WHAT WITH HOW HIGH YOUR PITCH WAS!"

Frisk paused and let Papyrus drag him out of the forest and back towards the house. He gave his next words some thought before he chuckled, "Uh...Heh-heh. Hey, can't spell 'Frisk' without 'risk,' right?"

Papyrus stopped on a dime and looked back at Frisk. He seemed betrayed."OH, NO, NOT YOU TOO...?" he cried. "SANS' INFLUENCE RUNS EVEN DEEPER THAN I THOUGHT! I'LL HAVE TO MAKE YOU EXTRA SPAGHETTI AND HELP YOU DESIGN SOME EXTRA MIND-BOGGLING PUZZLES TO GET YOU FREE OF IT...! BUT I SUPPOSE IT CAN WAIT UNTIL WE GET YOU WARMED UP AND DRY." He walked Frisk up to the front door and swung it open. "SANS! I'M BACK, AND THE HUMAN IS OKAY! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD _NEVER_ FAIL IN KEEPING THEM SAFE–SANS, ARE _YOU_ OKAY?"

Sans looked okay. He was facing them and he didn't look hurt, he just looked...depressed. More depressed than usual. His head was lowered and looking down at his pink slippers and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. "...Sans…?"

"SANS, YOU LOOK _REALLY_ SAD. DID YOU READ SOMETHING SAD ON THE UNDERNET? I HAVE READ MANY SAD THINGS BEFORE, BUT I JUST REMEMBER THAT NO MATTER WHAT, I STILL HAVE MYSELF! AND YOU HAVE ME, TOO!"

"...papyrus…" Sans muttered.

"YES, SANS? IS THIS WHERE YOU TELL ME WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER?"

"would you go to the store and just...grab me some chips?" he asked.

Frisk heard the door creak, and looked back to see that it was wobbling after being opened up from the inside at a high velocity. To divide his attention even further, he heard the TV turn on, and he looked over at the screen. It was on the news channel, and Mettaton, in all his rectangular glory, was sitting in the anchor spot. "GOOD MORNING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES." Something about him sounded...off. Like he wasn't as excited as he usually was. "WE HAVE SOME UTTERLY _ASTONISHING_ NEWS FOR YOU TODAY...A SITUATION HAS RECENTLY BEEN MADE PUBLIC THAT, NOT EVEN TWO DAYS AGO, SEVERAL MONSTERS IN THE CAPITAL DISAPPEARED. DETAILS ARE SCARCE, BUT ALL WE KNOW HERE AT THE STUDIO IS THAT IT'S...PROBABLY...NOT GOOD." Mettaton paused for a moment before his usual pep came back. "WE GO LIVE TO THE SCENE TO GET THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD'S INPUT!"

The camera switched to a busy street in New Home, focused on Undyne in her obsidian armor, a blinking _"Live"_ flashing in the corner of the screen. "Look, _we're_ not entirely sure what happened either, but the Royal Guard has everything under control. Nothing like this is ever gonna happen again if _we_ got anything to say about it! Now get that camera outta my face, **punk!"** She reached out to cover the camera up, and after a flash of static, it switched back to Mettaton.

He tapped his stack of papers on the table. "WE WERE UNABLE TO REACH ASGORE FOR HIS THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER. THAT'S ALL FOR NOW! TA-TA, YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! _MWAH…!"_ He gave an extravagant blow-kiss, complete with a floating heart effect on the screen before a screen test came up with the words "A NEW PROGRAM IS ON THE WAY! STAY TUNED!"

The silence laid heavy on them both before Frisk turned to Sans and whispered, "...Do... _you_ know what happened...?"

"nope." Sans shook his head. "but like what mettaton said…it can't be good."

Frisk hung his head for a moment before he said hesitantly, "...I think...we need to check it out."

"...think you know who did it?" Sans asked. His tone of voice betrayed the fact that he knew, too.

Frisk only glanced at him slowly before he looked away and muttered, "Maybe a couple suspects…"

Before they could turn around and leave, Papyrus came barreling back into the house, holding several bags of chips. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS RETURNED!" he exclaimed. He quickly offloaded all the bags onto the couch and turned to Sans and said, "SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG SANS, YOU DIDN'T SPECIFY WHAT KIND OF CHIPS YOU WANTED! SO I GOT SEVERAL, INCLUDING BARBEQUE, RANCH, GAZPACHO, AND WHITE CHEDDAR!" It was then he immediately picked up on the somber mood in the room and looked from Frisk to Sans and back. Papyrus put his hands on his hips and said, "...I DO NOT LIKE THE GLUM ATTITUDE YOU TWO HAVE GOING. IT MAKES ME FEEL LEFT OUT." He paused and struck a thoughtful pose before he added, "WELL, NOT LEFT OUT AS IN 'BEING SAD.' LEFT OUT AS IN, 'TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.'"

Frisk and Sans took a sideways glance at each other, silently asking if the other wanted to speak up first; Frisk ended up taking initiative. "We, uh…" he began, "heard that New Home had...is having...some sort of problem." Papyrus seemed intrigued but not necessarily interested until Frisk said, "All we know is that...some Monsters might be hurt and the Royal Guard are involved-"

"SAY NO MORE!"

The sheer volume and force behind Papyrus' voice bowled Frisk over and Sans actually shut his eyes and leaned back. "AS A ROYAL GUARD IN TRAINING, THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST MEET POTENTIAL PROBLEMS AND SOLVE THEM LIKE THE MERE CHILDISH PUZZLES THEY ARE!" He whirled around on his heel and bashed the front door open again before he pointed toward Waterfall and exclaimed, "TO THE CAPITAL! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!"

Papyrus charged off without wasting any more time, and Frisk followed him outside just to stare after him. He looked back over to see Sans trudge out and stop, gazing off in the direction papyrus had run off. "...Maybe this was a bad idea…" Frisk muttered.

Sans took a sideways glance at him and shrugged. "eh, can't do much about it now…'cept maybe help papyrus and everyone else out." He paused a moment to let his grin get a little wider, and Frisk took notice to stare right at him. "you're good at that, though, helpin' people out."

It got Frisk to smile a little bit, and Sans held out his hand. "c'mon, let's go help handle the situation," he said with a wink. "there's a shortcut that'll get us back to papyrus a few feet ahead. follow me."

They rejoined Papyrus and managed to march all the way from Waterfall to New Home. They had to take a couple odd turns, like the one where Undyne took Frisk to that hidden grocery store yesterday, but when they did, they found themselves in the middle of New Home; a plaza of grey stone, surrounded on all sides by apartments, business fronts, and in the middle was a fountain. Not like the one in MTT Resort, just a small thing with an ornamental head spraying water. But they were in a massive shadow, cast by Asgore's castle, towering on some rocky plateau above them.

"nice view, huh?"

Frisk stopped abruptly and looked up at Sans. "the rock they used to make this place is hundreds of years old. think it all finished up when i was about thirty. but i wouldn't know, i was bing _stone_ idle at the time."

Frisk spluttered and giggled, and then quickly retorted, "Guess they were all Monster's after my _st-own_ heart. I might be the new kid on the _rock,_ but from where I'm standing, New Home looks a lot like a _mason_ of shopkeepers."

By now, Sans was laughing pretty hard and Papyrus, understandably, was not having it. "SANS, STOP THAT! YOU'RE ONLY _ENCOURAGING_ THEM!" he took a quick glance around the rather empty square before he continued, "...THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL LET IT SLIDE THIS TIME, BECAUSE WE NEED TO HURRY AND FIND UNDYNE AND THE ROYAL GUARD! THEY MUST BE PRACTICALLY _LOST_ WITHOUT MY HELP!"

"right," Sans said. "...so which way do we go to find'em, then?"

"SANS, IT WAS _YOUR_ IDEA! SHOULDN'T _YOU_ KNOW?"

Sans only shrugged and pointed back at Frisk. "i mean, technically it was the kid's idea, but i don't think either of us know where the action is."

Frisk's indignant "Hey!" was generally ignored, and Sans chuckled and winked at him good-naturedly. Papyrus, on the other hand, groaned and declared, "RIGHT! I CAN SEE! THAT WE NEED TO SPREAD OUT OUR EFFORTS TO FIND WHERE ALL THE EXCITEMENT IS!"

"so we need to split up is what you're saying?"

Papyrus deflated a bit and stared down at Sans blankly. "YES, SANS, IF YOU WANT TO PUT IT THAT WAY AND RUIN ALL THE DRAMA AND MYSTIQUE!"

Sans only chuckled. "whatever you say, papyrus. maybe you go south, i go north, and frisk searches the center of the city? whaddaya think, kiddo?" Frisk only rolled his eyes and shrugged when Sans glanced back at him, and he chuckled. "don't care either way, huh? sounds good to me. let's go."

"YES! LET'S!" Papyrus exclaimed as he ducked past the other two and began jogging down a street to their right. "EVEN THOUGH I AM CERTAIN MY INSTINCTS COULD LEAD US RIGHT TO UNDYNE, WE WILL NEED TO FIND OTHER MEMBERS AS WELL!" He turned on his heel and walked backwards while he recited, "THAT WAY, WE CAN LEARN ALL ABOUT THIS 'SITUATION' AND HELP PUT A STOP TO IT! IF IT NEEDS STOPPING! IF IT DOESN'T, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL BE THE FIRST TO HELP IT ALONG! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!"

When Frisk turned back to talk to Sans about what he should be looking for specifically, he was disappointed (but not surprised) to find Sans had disappeared into thin air. Frisk's shoulder sagged a bit and he crossed his arms indignantly, rolled his eyes, and walked off. "Really, Sans…" he muttered under his breath. Well, he couldn't exactly do much about his position now.

It couldn't be _that_ hard to find a few members of the Royal Guard, though.

* * *

This was proving _much_ harder than expected.

Frisk felt like he'd been walking in circles. He didn't recognize any buildings, he didn't recognize any shops, and he didn't recognize any Monsters wandering around outside...what few that _were_ wandering around outside. He tried asking them for directions, but all of them either hadn't heard the news about what the Royal Guard were so invested in or were trying to find them themselves. He'd just finished chatting with an elderly couple of Monsters, one looked like a large pool noodle with arms and the other was some sort of balloon-monkey hybrid. He'd asked if they had seen any Royal Guards walk by, and was disheartened to learn they hadn't, but he thanked them and kept walking until he came upon a T-intersection and an all-new street.

He looked both ways before he stepped out and arbitrarily turned to the left and began walking down the boulevard. It wasn't as wide as most of the other streets in New Home, but Frisk didn't feel threatened by its tightness like he had in some cities on the surface a long, long time ago. Maybe a little unnerved, but not threatened; not seeing anyone else on the streets for about one yard at a time added to that feeling. And on top of all that, Frisk was busy poring over what could _possibly_ have happened that would warrant investigation from the Royal Guard. All he knew was that Flowey was involved somehow. And if she was involved, that most likely meant it was _worse_ than bad.

Then, something moved.

Frisk stopped dead in the middle of the street and whipped his head to the right. He could have sworn he saw some sort of shadow in the alley shift to hide behind a corner, but as he started into the dim light between the brick buildings, he found his gut twisting in on itself. The alley wasn't threatening, in fact there was virtually no chance of a Monster jumping him out of malice; that ran counter to _everything_ Monsters were. Some of them had done bad things, like Asgore and Undyne, but...they were just like people. Scared people, doing bad things, believing they were helping others (except he doubted he could say if Undyne was ever truly _scared)_.

But looking into that alleyway, Frisk could _feel_ something emanating off of it. It didn't feel natural. It felt downright _wrong._ He kept staring into its confines for another moment before he furrowed his brow and puffed out his chest slightly. "Well, I didn't get here by being a scaredy-cat," he said to himself as he marched forward. With only three brave steps, he had crossed the threshold and entered the alley, and was greeted with a lot of junk. Not the kind of junk and the kind of feeling he got when he visited Bratty and Catty's shop before, this junk was just worthless. Thrown out wooden planks, an old, mangled bike, busted kitchen appliances, old toys that didn't function, and other such things. Frisk sighed, shook his head, and rounded a corner to the left, and was met with more stone bricks and dim light from above. He was most likely behind several apartment buildings now, and he had a straight shot forward beside more dumpsters and another turn to the right at the end of the hall. Frisk squinted. No sign of the shadow he had seen before; he kept moving.

He turned the corner and was greeted with a shorter corridor between the buildings that led to another right hand turn and nothing else of note. Frisk marched forward and turned...and then he stopped. There was another area in front of him just like the last hallway he had walked through.

There was another right turn ahead. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

Although thoroughly weirded out, Frisk took a couple tentative steps forward and then walked up to the corner and poked his head around it. There was another hallway with a right turn. _"...What the hell…?"_ Frisk whispered. After waiting on bated breath for something to happen, he turned the corner and walked down the hallway and turned right again. The same hallway and right turn waited for him. Frisk felt his heartbeat quicken, and when he looked up and around to see if someone was watching, it got faster. He was no longer surrounded on all sides by apartment buildings; they had all seemingly melded together in vast edifices of stone.

Frisk immediately took off and ran around the corner. Nothing changed, just the same hallway and right turn. He kept running, and he ran around several corners before he stopped and decided to check _behind_ him for once. He took off running in the opposite direction this time, and turned left around the corner. Nothing changed. He kept running and rounding corners. He started running laps around the stone tower in the middle. One, then two, then three...or was it four or five? He'd found, to his horror after slowing down from fatigue, that he'd lost count. That feeling of unease was gone, and fear had moved in instead, with no intentions on paying rent.

However, as he shuffled around another corner in the square, Frisk saw something different, finally. It was a door, and it looked very familiar. It looked like it was made of wood, but it was colored completely in greyscale. It took him a second to recognize and recall where he'd seen it before; his eyes widened, and he froze in place. Frisk approached it slowly at first, but when he saw no other movement, he walked up and reached for the knob.

He was terrified to see two eyes open up on the door's surface from nowhere.

They sat at a forty-five degree angle, the eye on the left almost reaching the edge of the door itself. It would have made it more disturbing when the door began talking to him from where it was supposed to open, and not opening and closing to imitate a jaw; the edge of the door itself was bending like a mouth.

" _One through the heart, one through the eyes;_

 _I am your hatred, I am your lies."_

"Wha-"

Without warning, the strange Follower door opened up fully to reveal the inky abyss beyond, and just as quickly, it fell over, peeling off the wall like wet paper. It fell and engulfed Frisk before he could dive out of the way, let alone cry out, and when he opened his eyes and uncovered his face in an attempt to shield it, all he saw around him was...nothing. Nothing but the black. Frisk blinked a couple times and shrunk in on himself, bowing his upper torso and reflexively crossing his arms as he glanced around in quick spasms. "H...Hello…?"

There was no answer.

Not until he felt something was wrong. Frisk looked down and saw the area he was standing on was lit up purple, spreading out as a square under him. He had no idea what it meant, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out, and he quickly retreated off of the area. His worst suspicions were confirmed when a building rose out of it. Frisk jumped back. It looked like one of the many apartment buildings in New Home. It... _was_ one of the many apartment buildings in New Home. Frisk then became aware of something else happening under him and he looked down to see another glowing square of purple.

His eyes widened, and he wasted no time in jumping off the square as another building rose out of the static nothing to take its place. He looked down again to see even more of these squares, rectangles, and other geometric shapes lighting up the nonexistent floor he was running on, all of them hot on his heels, and so he kept running. He didn't look behind him. The sound of the vacuum briefly being brought to life and roaring hollowly in the void was all he needed to hear as he kept running. In his mind, he heard something. Music was playing, like it had often done when he fought a Monster of note. A harrowing melody that told him there was a lab, an experiment, and then nothing, because nobody wanted to remember it.

Frisk kept running, trying to outpace the myriad of buildings that were springing up behind him. He took a quick glance back to see them all creating a reflection of one of the streets of New Home, or at least that's what he assumed. It wasn't a street he had seen before...especially considering that he now saw buildings springing out of the "ceiling" of the void, as well as several other impossible angles, and some of them were spawning other buildings on their surface in recursion. He was so engrossed in this bold defiance of all natural laws that he didn't notice part of the surface in front of him a few feet ahead was glowing violet.

Before Frisk even knew what he was experiencing, he felt himself launched up, off the solid ground he'd been on. He somersaulted through the air and saw below him a new apartment rising up from the void. He barely heard himself scream.

And then in a surge of pain, he felt himself land. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, and quickly wished he hadn't. From where he was, Frisk was staring down (or was it up?) at the impossible street created in his wake. He groaned and slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position, sucking in breath through his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain. He didn't get the chance to stand up when he saw a hexagon of purple light appear around him on the ground, and suddenly, six walls shot out of the light, encasing him completely.

He covered his face as the grating roar of the vacuum was torn once again in close proximity to him. When Frisk did open his eyes, however, he looked up at where the walls were reaching to. His stomach sank when he realized the top of it was fading into the endless nothing above him.

He was trapped.

"Oh, God." Frisk launched himself to his feet, the lingering pain in his body from being thrown about completely ignored, and he nearly rammed himself into the wall. "Oh, God, please no." Frisk began feeling up and down the stone as if he was searching for a light switch in a pitch-black room; there had to be a hidden switch somewhere, there _had_ to be. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no…" Frisk kept shuffling along the wall, tracing his hands up and down over the stone. If he wasn't so panicked, he would have been surprised; the stone felt like normal rock, if not nominally colder. He kept tracing his fingers through the valleys where the mortar was supposed to be (there was none, yet the walls still stood upright, thanks to this void's blatant disregard of physics) and brushed his palms over the smooth faces of the bricks themselves. Frisk worked his way all around the prison he'd landed in, until he was back where he started. Nothing had changed.

He remained still, staring at the wall, breathing heavily. Then he started shaking his head. Slowly at first, and so slightly it was almost unnoticeable, but it got more pronounced the longer the seconds ticked on. "Oh, no...no, no, no," he repeated, "no, no, no, no, no no no no…" Frisk glanced behind him and muttered desperately, "There's gotta be a way out. There always is. There's gotta be…"

It was just like his prison was sentient. The next thing Frisk knew, a blinding white light was blazing out of the wall in front of him, and Frisk turned on instinct and immediately had to shield his eyes; it was bright. _Really_ bright. It did die down some after the initial flash, but it was still like looking directly into an industrial-grade fluorescent bulb.

However, Frisk could see...symbols. Hands making gestures, astrological and genealogical signs, and some things that might have had their own merit that he didn't understand: swords and snakes, wings and eyes, clouds and fire, and above them all were three bas-reliefs of three figures: two men and one woman. The man on the left looked overweight, or at least his clothes gave that impression. He was draped in several robes and had a hat trimmed with gold as long as his forearm. His beard reached down to his hips and was braided in rings; in his left hand, he held a burning flame. The woman, on the right, was dressed more modestly, through she wasn't wearing a shirt or top of any kind, and yet the mural made no indication if she had nipples in the first place. Aside from that, she wore a fine but non extravagant skirt and tunic, and in her right hand was clutching two red hearts. And the last man, in the middle, had his arms outstretched and pointed down, palms out; he had wings, but the stone in the middle was missing, leaving nothing but a black void, and his face…

His face was decorated with three eyes and a mouth, grimacing down on all below him.

Frisk looked at it for only a moment longer before he felt himself shaking. He shook even more before he heard a voice.

"GREETINGS."

Frisk's eyes went wide and he whipped his body around to look at where the voice came from. Standing in front of him was a hunched figure coated in a strange, black substance that looked more oily than organic, the only notable features that could be seen being his hands and face. Said hands had large holes in the middle of them, and his face was cracked in two places, one running over his scalp from on top of his right eye socket, now curved downward from stress and damage, and the other meeting the left corner of his mouth from the bottom of the corresponding eye. Said mouth seemed to be stuck in a perpetual grin. Frisk's breath caught and died in his throat.

"...Doctor Gaster…?"

"HAVE YOU BEEN SEARCHING FOR ME?" the mysterious man said without moving his mouth. "HOW CONSIDERATE OF YOU. TRULY, I AM TOUCHED.

AND LUCKILY, I HAVE BEEN

SEARCHING FOR YOU

AS WELL."

In the next instant, Gaster held out his hands like a mock-movie director, the tips of his middle fingers almost touching his thumbs. He then gestured out, as if giving his "camera" a wider angle, and in the instant there was nothing left behind, a great white portal flashed into existence. It sprung to life in front of Gaster until it covered his body completely and remained there, glowing gently with white light.

"YOUR EXIT, HUMAN," his disembodied voice said,

"MY PLAN IS COMING ALONG SWIMMINGLY. WE WILL MEET AGAIN...SOON."

Frisk made no other moves, he only remained transfixed on the portal Gaster had conjured to life. After a moment of bated breath, he slowly crept up to the portal and reached out to touch it; but just before his hand made contact, he stopped short, and withdrew. Frisk slowly made his way around the portal to get a look at the mystery man he had encountered only thrice now, in all his time in the Underground.

There was no one behind it now.

Frisk's pupils shrunk again and he quickly jolted back to the "front" of the portal. He was fairly certain he could have walked in the back and left the void, but...well, it was probably smarter to not chance it. Before he walked through it, however, he paused and took a cautious glance back at the wall of symbols. Everything was in its place and nothing had changed. The man on the left still held fire, the woman on the right still held hearts. The man in the middle still stared down contemptibly at Frisk.

He shuddered, turned around, shook his head, and walked through the portal.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was basically an exercise in "write dunk, edit sober," except instead of sober, I edited while on a sugar high. I apologize in advance, I just didn't know how else to write through it in a slow but engaging fashion.


	13. The Hardest Choices

The Hardest Choices

Sans felt a little scummy for just leaving Frisk behind without so much as a "goodbye," but he had an image to keep up. Besides, he knew that deep down, Frisk wasn't going to be that angry with him. Also, he had places to look...for both the Royal Guard and a certain floral troublemaker.

But so far, he had seen neither.

As he meandered down the near-empty streets, Sans at least had time to think. Like, what was going to happen once he fixed Gaster's Shrouding Gate, assuming Alphys helped him in a timely manner? _Could_ the machine still be fixed? And if it couldn't...what was he going to tell Frisk?

Sans sighed and took his hands out of his pockets just to cross his arms and stare up at the blackness high above. On the other side was sunlight and a world wider than he could have ever imagined; he knew he'd seen it before and remembered it vaguely, but that was many lifetimes ago by now. "sheesh," he muttered to himself. "still wish you were here, G. you'd know exactly what to do." Sans' smile fell for a moment before he sighed and walked the rest of the way down the street he was on.

However, he realized that as he walked further, he could hear voices growing in intensity. Normally, he wouldn't have paid it much mind, but knowing what he did about Mettaton's news report and Frisk's uncontrollable little friend, he supposed there might be some merit to checking it out. Sans sauntered down the street, turned two corners, and came upon another long street...but this one was different.

For one thing, there were Monsters all bunched up just a few feet ahead, and there were several members of the Royal Guard standing behind them, blocking off the avenue and keeping order. They didn't seem intent on getting through the blockade, however, mostly just bombarding the guardsmen with questions. Sans quirked an eyebrow. "huh. so this is where the guard have all been posted...wish i knew why they'd think blockin' off a whole street was a good-"

He trailed off when he thought he heard something familiar in the crowd. A loud, high-pitched voice, throwing out several questions at once. He turned a little further to his right to see a skull poking out over the heads of some other Monsters, and he immediately dashed into the gathered throng and began pushing others aside as gently as he could manage.

"AND ANOTHER THING!" Papyrus had been calling to the guards for the past several minutes, with no such luck in getting them to answer. Or acknowledge his existence, it seemed. Still, it wouldn't slow him down. "WHERE DID YOU ALL EVEN _COME_ FROM!? THE MOST ROYAL GUARDSMEN I HAVE SEEN IN ONE PLACE IS TWO! AND IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME PEOPLE! THAT MONSTER WITH THE LONG EARS AND THE OTHER ONE WITH THE SCALY SKIN AND SCARY FINS THAT LOOK LIKE UNDYNE'S! TELL ME HOW THAT MAKES SENSE!"

"geez, papyrus.." Sans' sudden appearance made his brother jump and glance down so fast, he was certain he heard his neck crack in several places. "What's got you all worked up? sounds like you're about ready to cast the first _bone_ at these guys." Papyrus hadn't even been around Sans for more than ten seconds and he was already clenching his jaw in frustration. "lay off the poor guys, will ya? they've probably been standing there the whole day. don't be so _guard-_ hearted."

"SANS!"

"what?" he replied with an innocent shrug, "i'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"YOU COULD EASILY DO SO WITHOUT SUCH TERRIBLE PUNS!" Papyrus yelled back.

"alright, i get'cha." And he fully meant to drop the jokes for now, too, if Frisk's mood from earlier was anything to go by. Speaking of which…

"hey, bro...you know where frisk is?"

Papyrus seemed to blanch a little at that question. "WHA-! NO!" he exclaimed, "I THOUGHT OUR HUMAN LITTLE BROTHER WAS WITH YOU!"

Sans took a look around him and shrugged. "apparently not."

"SANS! THIS ISN'T GOOD! WE NEED TO GET BACK OUT THERE AND FIND THEM! WHO KNOWS WHAT FRISK IS-"

"Alright, people! Clear out! We told you before, the Royal Guard has everything under control! Now **move!"**

Papyrus was cut off as Undyne, dressed up in her black armor, came stomping down the road, and when she got closer, a few of the Monsters closer to the back of the crowd broke off and hastily walked away, wanting nothing to do with the situation now. "That's it, keep walking! Nothin' worth seeing here!" she called after them before glancing down at the remainder of the crowd. "As for all of you, just sit tight for another few minutes. We're almost done, and soon the road will be open again for business. Just remain patient and we'll see to it that-"

"FEAR NOT, UNDYNE! WE'RE HERE TO HELP!"

Undyne froze mid-sentence and her good eye widened as she glanced over to her left and spotted Papyrus for the first time; she didn't know Sans was there until Papyrus decided to hold him up by his collar as he called, "AND SANS IS HERE TOO!"

The sparse snickering in the crowd died down immediately when Undyne forcefully stated, **"Thank you for understanding!"** before she stomped up to Papyrus and Sans. Papyrus was now sporting a more worried face than before; Sans didn't seem all that different than he looked usually, though there was a telltale bead of sweat dripping down his temple. "Papyrus…" she began. His worried expression began to soften until he was smiling expectantly at Undyne before she asked pointedly, "What the **heck** are you and Sans doing here…?"

There was a pause before Papyrus began, "WELL, I HEARD THAT...ACTUALLY, SANS TOLD ME...I THINK HE TOLD US-"

"Out with it, Papyrus! That's an order!"

"WE HEARD THAT SOME MONSTERS WERE IN TROUBLE AND WE CAME OVER TO HELP!" he cried mostly out of fear.

Undyne stopped short and stared at the two of them. While it wasn't classified that some Monsters had gone missing (in fact, it was more like an open secret at this point), she had been _desperately_ hoping she wouldn't have to get Papyrus roped up in it. "Well…" she sighed. Her voice died in her throat and she paused and tried again. "Well, yeah. We're looking into...what exactly went down and why it might've happened. It's thrown the capital into a bit of...a mess, to put it lightly."

"does asgore know?" Sans asked as he sipped on a bottle of ketchup that Undyne and Papyrus were _sure_ he didn't have a moment ago.

"Eh...more or less," Undyne replied. There was another long pause. Sans continued to drink while Papyrus stood briskly at attention. Undyne groaned after a moment. "That means you two aren't going anywhere until I tell you how you can help, huh?"

"YES, CAPTAIN! I MEAN, NO, CAPTAIN! I MEAN…" Papyrus tripped over his words for another second before he decided on, "THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL KICK THIS PROBLEM IN THE FACE! AND IF HE CAN'T KICK IT, IT WILL BE GIVEN A SEVERE TALKING-TO!"

" _Fiiiiiiine…"_ Undyne groaned as she leaned back with her arms limp at her sides. In the next instant, she jerked her head back, indicating for the bone brothers to follow her, and Papyrus was gone so fast he left a dusty afterimage in his original place in the crowd; Sans didn't move. Undyne pivoted and could see Papyrus racing down the boulevard at mach speed and she followed him. There was a fifty percent chance he'd run right by the apartments the Royal Guard had quarantined without being any wiser. After a few seconds, she realized something was missing, and looked around to realize Sans wasn't there. Undyne froze and glanced back to see the squat skeleton still hanging around in the crowd, casually sipping on his ketchup. From the look on his face and how slow his arm was moving, though, it looked like he was going to fall asleep at any second. Undyne groaned again and turned back around and practically _launched_ herself at Sans, hurtling through the air, and when she stopped, she didn't wait to look at his surprised reaction; she just grabbed him, stuffed him under her arm, and took off down the street again.

Eventually, the three of them made it to what the Royal Guard were keeping such a close eye on; several apartment buildings had been quarantined, and according to passing conversation, there were several more being watched over on opposite ends of New Home. Whoever struck them was so quick that they were able to move between targets on entirely different sides of the city. The one they were at was about five stories tall, and was surrounded by purple fencing and several guards in black armor like Undyne's. As she, Papyrus and Sans (who had been freed from Undyne's grip earlier) approached the building, one of the guards who had been posted to the front door along with his bro approached them. "Woah, sorry guys, we get you're probably real friendly with Captain Undyne, but nobody's allowed inside the crime scene."

"They're with me, Oh-One," Undyne replied without skipping a beat, "don't worry about it."

"Oh. My bad."

The guardsman walked back to his post next to the door as the three of them filed inside the building. It was dimly lit, and they walked through the lobby over to the stairwell off in the far-left corner. They climbed up one flight of stairs and Sans couldn't help but notice the atmosphere in the building felt...oppressive for lack of a better term. Only Papyrus still possessed the positive outlook to break the silence. "SO, UNDYNE, WHAT PITIFULLY UNDERPREPARED-FOR-US PROBLEM NEEDS SOLVING? ALSO BY US?"

Undyne froze, along with the other two, as they approached a door that led out of the stairwell they were in and to the third floor proper. The place looked like a tornado had hit it; tables were overturned or broken, paintings had been flung off the walls, said walls had chipped paint, there was furniture covered in white sheets at infrequent intervals in the hall. Undyne sucked in a breath and turned to face Sans and Papyrus, with a rather reluctant expression. "Yeah, see," she began, "we got this call about some perp going through people's houses and tearing them up a few days ago." She turned to open the door, and it led out into another dim hall, lit only by sparse overhead lights and what little was leaking in from the outside, through the windows. "We're just trying to get everything in here back into working order so that-"

She was cut off as Papyrus dove out of the door and exclaimed, "SO SOME NE'ER-DO-WELL BELIEVES THEY CAN TRASH OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY WITHOUT REPERCUSSIONS!?" He spun around and brought up his arm, pointing up like an accusing lawyer. "I THINK NOT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL RECTIFY THIS SITUATION BY GOING THROUGH EVERY SQUARE INCH OF THIS APARTMENT AND SET RIGHT WHAT HAS BEEN WRONGED! AND SET THE TABLES THAT HAVE BEEN UN-SET BY OUR CULPRIT!" He reared himself back and took off down the hall with one final "NYEH!" before he turned on a dime and threw himself into an open door. The sounds of loud rearranging was quick to follow, and Undyne only stood around, looking after him with a thoughtful expression.

"Huh. I didn't think he'd get himself out of the way that easily," she mused. She turned back around to walk into the stairwell, and when Sans made no indication to move, she looked back to him and added, "I wouldn't worry about him. There's no one else in the building besides us."

Sans was looking up at her, and he took a quick glance behind him before he followed her back into and up the stairwell. They walked in silence for a couple minutes longer before Sans decided to speak up. "not exactly like you to get paps outta the way without a good reason, and i already know something's up. mettaton said some monsters had disappeared...but i don't see why you gotta distract papyrus with a minor problem."

He could see Undyne visibly wince as they continued walking. "Yeah, well…" She stuttered a bit, trying to find the words that ultimately failed her. "...Just follow me, Sans. We need to get to the fifth floor so I can explain everything and hope that Papyrus doesn't finish cleaning up before I'm done."

She turned away and they walked on in silence after that. Sans didn't really care as long as the questions got answered. Eventually, they came to the fifth floor, and Undyne pushed the door to the main area open. This floor didn't look much different from the third; more broken paintings, chairs and tables thrown around haphazardly, the works. Undyne and Sans stepped out of the stairwell and began to walk. It was quiet for a moment before Sans noticed Undyne was looking down on him with a scrunched-up face. Sans was...a bit unnerved, but decided to ignore it for now. He couldn't claim to know how her head worked, but he figured he could figure it out later; luckily for him, he didn't actually have to wait.

"Oh, crap, I _thought_ something was missing!" she half-exclaimed. "Where's the kid? Thought he'd be with you guys?"

Sans had almost forgotten that point considering all the mystery around what was happening around him. He only shrugged and said, "actually, frisk came with us to new home. We just split up to try and find you guys faster." He looked up at Undyne and finished, "i'll give'em a call after we're done here with an update on what i find if they don't show."

Undyne's tense expression seemed to melt and she smiled, if just slightly. "Oh, cool." She looked back ahead and down the hall they were walking, and after another moment of silence, she took a few quick steps ahead and turned back to Sans. "Hey, I gotta get...some stuff together. Stuff I gotta show you, since you came all the way here. It's in room 'D-three-five-two,' all the way down the hall and turn left. You can find that, right?"

"i'm lazy, not illiterate," Sans remarked.

"Yeah, whatever." Undyne rolled her eyes and turned back around. She paused for a moment to say, "But seriously...take your time," before she took off down the hall and disappeared around the corner, leaving Sans alone to soak in the silence.

He sighed, his shoulders sagged, and he continued walking forward at a snail's pace to take in the destruction. It was obvious some sort of fight had erupted here, but Sans didn't notice a few crucial details until he was already at the end of the hall. Upon closer inspection, he noticed there were claw marks on the outside of some of the doors, as if someone was trying to get _in._ On top of that, the furniture that had been toppled didn't seem to have much damage on it. "hm…" Sans muttered as he inspected another overturned chair. "it's like whoever threw this stuff around wasn't interested in damaging it so much as throwing it around." He scratched his chin as he stood up and rounded the corner. "only reason i can think of for someone doing that would be to get...out...of...the…"

Sans would have continued his thoughts, if it weren't for the fact he could see something shining in the window he was passing by. The subtle white glow on the walls around him told him it wasn't his imagination, either. He turned around slowly to see where the light was coming from, and to his surprise, a doorway beyond the intersection he had walked through was glowing white. His eyesockets widened and he stood there for what felt like hours before he worked up the courage to move closer. Sans did so slowly, step by step, just in case something were to make any sudden moves. Or explode. It was hard to tell.

So imagine his surprise when he saw Frisk step out of the portal and watched it fizzle out behind him. Frisk himself was shielding his eyes from the luminosity of walking through it, most likely, and he looked around until he laid eyes on Sans. He froze for a second, unsure of whether it was real or not before he trotted up to the skeleton and hugged him. He knew he shouldn't be surprised by that behavior by now, but Sans was still slightly taken aback anyway. "oof...hey, kid," he grunted. "something strange happen while i was away?"

Frisk broke for a second to look up at Sans, as if searching for a tell that marked him as fake, for whatever reason. When he found no such thing, he smiled and squeezed him one last time. "You have no idea," he said in a hushed tone.

"heh. care to shed some _light_ on it for me?"

He was almost immediately hit with an answer, or at least the notion that what Frisk had gone through was...heavy, to say the least. He didn't laugh so much as he grinned and chuckled quietly to himself. Some red flags went off.

"Actually," Frisk said, "I...I met...your dad…"

Well, no more _red_ flags were going off, but flags of every other color of the rainbow were. Sans could feel his pupils shrink. _"and…?"_ he asked with an unusual urgency in his voice.

"Uhhh…" Frisk had wanted to forget ever going into that void the second he was able to leave, but still...a lot of what happened was going to stick with him. "I...I met one of his followers...he looked like a door."

Sans' expression immediately shifted to confusion. "Yeah, I thought it was weird, too. Especially what it told me." Frisk trailed off, but sensing Sans was going to ask, he added, "Something about…'one in your heart...one in the eyes…'uh…'I am your hatred, I...am your lies,' I think…? I dunno what that means."

To his surprise, Sans only blinked at him a couple times and shrugged. "yeah, ya got me there, kid," he said. "anything else? did G talk to you?"

"Yeah! He told me, um…" Frisk paused. It was then he realized he hadn't fully understood what Gaster had _said,_ but he understood the underlying _meaning._ He'd have to paraphrase. "That he was...happy I'd been looking for him, actually. He told me he'd been looking for _me,_ too." That was the moment Sans' eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Frisk had to pause a moment to stifle his laughter before he said, "And I think he said something about a plan? Which is great! I think? It...depends on if that plan involves coming back with or without his machine…"

There was a long silence, only broken by sparse chuckling from Sans, who said, "shoot, frisk. here i am stressing out over how to get everything pitch-perfect and getting the planets to align, and you just stumble into him on an afternoon stroll." Sans' chuckling got a bit less forced after a couple seconds and he said, "my old man...i tell ya, he's something else sometimes."

Frisk suddenly found himself deflating. "Oh. Should...I be worried?"

Sans shook his head and held up his hand. "nah, he knows what he's doing. pops was one of those guys who could think his way out of falling from a hundred-foot vertical drop, y'know what i mean?"

"...Oh...kaaaay…?"

"if that analogy didn't make much sense, it's okay. neither did G on the best of days."

"That's not making me feel any better," Frisk mentioned with a chuckle.

"hey, don't worry about it," Sans said. "if G wants us to worry, he'll tell me. and then i'll tell you, and _then_ we can figure it out after we're done panicking." Frisk snorted and Sans resumed his walk back down the hall. "anyway, we've wasted enough time here. undyne's just up ahead, said she wanted to show us something."

" _Undyne?"_ Frisk asked as he hastily fell instep beside Sans. "Undyne's here? Where am I, then?"

"some apartment building that the royal guard quarantined for reasons we're about to find out," Sans explained in short. They had walked a minute more before Undyne must have heard them coming, because she stuck her head out a door several feet away.

"Hey, there you are Sans, I...Frisk?" she asked. "When'd _you_ get here, punk?"

Frisk blanched and his eyes went wide; he quickly tried to think of a good excuse that wouldn't land him in a mental institute, but words failed him. Luckily, however, Sans did not. "oh, i saw the kid from one of the windows. ran back down to meet'em."

"That fast...?"

"...i took a shortcut."

Undyne paused a minute but decided to hand-wave it. Sans had a very roundabout way of thinking. "Aw, whatever. Good to see ya again, Frisk!" she exclaimed as she bent down and noogied him. Frisk giggled a bit before she stood back up and a her old, somber expression returned. "Sheesh, I honestly don't think you could've turned up at a worse time." Both he and Sans were about to ask what she was getting at before Undyne ushered them into the room she had been setting up.

It was a normal apartment living room, except all the furniture in what must have been the living room and den had been moved aside or was missing entirely. The reason for this was there was now a large table sitting in the middle of the room that took up most of the space, and was surrounded by purple rope as a means of restricting access. Undyne approached it, followed by Sans and Frisk, and then they got a good look at what was on said table.

There were several small piles of dust; as soon as Frisk realized there were name tags placed in front of each, he stopped in his tracks as he felt his stomach try to void itself and his brain tried to keep his breakfast down. Sans had only gone a bit further, but he too had to stop and study the table thoroughly. His brow furrowed. Undyne walked around to the side and leaned on a clear section of the table and looked back at the other two. "...This, uh...this is all we found," she explained. "Witnesses told some of my first responders it started at about five'o'clock. One moment it was quiet, the next minute, _boom!_ Everything exploded into chaos. Monsters were running everywhere, screaming, trying to get out of the building as something gunned'em down."

It looked like so much as explaining it took a toll on her, as she sighed deeply and hung her head. Undyne was silent for another minute before she looked up. "Nobody got a good look at who did it. All we know for sure is that they were firing tiny, white projectiles." Frisk felt the color drain from his face, but Undyne didn't notice. She gritted her teeth and clenched the hand she was using to lean on the table into a fist. "I swear to God, as soon as I find out who did this, I'm gonna make'em **wish** they'd **never** been born!"

There was barely a moment of silence for the news to sink in before, from around the corner, came a familiar, happy face. "AND WE SHALL FIND OUT WHO DID IT, OR I AM NOT THE GREAT PAPYR-"

Papyrus' optimistic grin disappeared as soon as he got a good look at the entirety of the room and everyone in it. Sans and Frisk looked surprised, but not shocked that he was there. Undyne, on the other hand, looked like she'd just been walked in on. Papyrus looked from her to the table, to Sans, back to the table, and then to Frisk. "HELLO, HUMAN! I DIDN'T SEE YOU COME IN! YOU ARE EXEPTIONALLY SNEAKY...BUT THEN AGAIN, YOU _ARE_ A SMALL CHILD!"

"...Actually, Sans...got me up here through a shortcut," Frisk lied.

"AH, THAT EXPLAINS IT." Papyrus nodded once and then his expression changed radically from contentment to wild-eyed shock as he glanced at Sans. "SANS, WHAT HAPPENED!? WHY IS THERE DUST HERE, AND WHY DO THEY HAVE NAME TAGS!? EITHER YOU'VE STARTED A NEW COLLECTION WITHOUT MY KNOWING, OR MONSTERS HAVE DIED!"

Sans took a quick glance at Undyne, and in the brief moment their eyes met, Sans knew that she didn't have the heart to explain to him what she'd just told them. He nodded at her and turned back to his brother. "one, it's why the whole building's a disaster, and two, yeah, you're right on the money. some monsters died a couple days ago. that's why the royal guard have everything on lockdown." He barely paused a minute before he said, "so if anyone thinks they're gonna sneeze, you may wanna get out of the room before we have another mess on our hands. heh-heh."

Papyrus scowled at him and deadpanned, "SANS."

"just tryin' to lighten the mood, bro."

"Hey, don't act like Sans kept you in the dark." The three of them looked over at Undyne, as she stood up straight. "I didn't want you to see this...at all, really. I didn't know how well you'd take it, since I know you can be…" She trailed off as she searched for the right words; it took her awhile to settle on a description, especially with Sans side-eyeing her, but she eventually finished, "...More emotional than most. That's...also why I had to switch your schedule and patrol routes. Things were getting hectic up here."

Silence stayed in the air for a few minutes before Papyrus cleared his throat and declared, "YES, WELL! I CAN SEE THAT WE! MUST FIND! WHOEVER'S RESPONSIBLE!"

Undyne looked up at him and her wide grin came back. "Heck yeah we will!"

"WE WILL FIND THEM, AND APPREHEND THEM!"

"Right on!" Undyne cheered. Sans only grinned and nodded. Frisk...Frisk didn't know _what_ to feel.

"AND WHEN WE DO, WE WILL SIT THEM DOWN AND TALK IT OUT!"

" **Yeeeaaaaaaah–** huh?" Undyne raised her fist and immediately lowered it as her mouth curved from a triumphant smile into a confused frown. "Papyrus...you're kidding, right?" she asked.

"IT IS...VERY SAD, YES, BUT I'M SURE WHOEVER DID IT HAD A REASON! WE NEED TO TRY AND FIND THEM SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND THEM!"

" **Are you crazy...!?"** Undyne raised her fist, but before she could do something as stupid as disrespecting the dead, Sans coughed and she looked down at him and then at her hand and quickly brought it down to her side. She cleared her throat and replied in somewhat more subdued tone, "Papyrus, whoever did this is obviously a _born killer._ We can't _talk_ them out of being a murderer."

"BUT THERE _MUST_ BE A REASON! THEY...WHOEVER DID THIS MUST BE MISUNDERSTOOD!"

Frisk shook his head and swallowed hard. Papyrus was a genius and didn't even realize it. Undyne stayed quiet for a minute before she blinked a couple times and rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, Papyrus, tell you what...when we find out who's responsible for this, we'll capture'em and then we'll talk to'em. If you can talk them out of...being a murderer, okay! Great! We'll just...let'em go, I guess! If you can't, though, we'll just keep'em locked up for all-"

"UNTIL THEY DECIDE TO BE NICE?" Papyrus interrupted. He continued gazing at Undyne hopefully for a while after that, so she couldn't exactly bring herself to finish her original idea.

"...Yeah. Until they decide to be a good person."

Papyrus raised his hands up into the air in triumph. "NYEH-HEH-HEH! BUT OF COURSE! NO ONE CAN GO BACK TO BEING A BAD PERSON IF THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT! I AM THE BEST AT GETTING PEOPLE TO _DO_ THEIR BEST!" He quickly glanced down at Sans and Frisk, paused, and quickly added, "WELL, EXCEPT YOU, FRISK. WHENEVER I'M NOT AROUND, _YOU_ BECOME THE BEST AT GETTING PEOPLE TO CHANGE! SO DON'T BE SAD ABOUT IT!"

Sans had to quirk an eyebrow at that, and looked over at Frisk. His eyes widened. Frisk was clutching himself and shivering violently, his eyes glossy, wide open, and staring dead ahead at nothing, and his skin was growing paler by the minute. There were several possibilities for this behavior. Frisk was either: worrying about what would happen if Undyne found out Flowey did this, worrying about what would happen if she ever _found_ Flowey, worrying about what would happen if _Papyrus_ found Flowey soon, or most likely, all of the above happening within the span of a few hours. Sans cleared his throat and said, "hey undyne, glad you were willing to tell us about all the stuff that's been goin' down in the last couple days, but we should probably get going. got stuff to talk about and all that."

Undyne seemed a bit put-off with Sans' sudden insistence to go, but if she had any gripes, she didn't voice them aside from telling the three of them, "No problem. You two are really off-the-wall sometimes, but I trust you. Just don't go telling anyone about what you saw; the Royal Guard's gonna take care of all that," as she walked them back through the apartment and down the stairwell.

Soon, the three of them were out of the building and were being escorted back down the street by the two Royal Guards Undyne had posted outside the front door. "WELL, THAT WAS...INTERESTING," Papyrus said at length. "IT WON'T PUT A DAMPENER ON MY DAY, OF COURSE! I WILL NOT LET IT!"

"i know you won't, bro. you _are_ the coolest," Sans replied. Papyrus beamed and grinned so widely that sparkles began manifesting in the air around his face. Satisfied, Sans turned his attention back to Frisk. He hadn't said a word on the whole walk back out of the building.

He must have been thinking about something important.

* * *

The lights had been shut off hours ago. Frisk still didn't feel tired, especially with the constant mocking threats replaying in his head.

" _This is all just a bad dream...and you're never waking up!"_

" _That was an...interesting talk you had with the trashbag, by the way."_

" _But this game between us will never end. I'll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach…and then tear it away just before you grasp it."_

" _Do you think you are the only one with that power? The power to reshape the world...purely by your own determination. The ability to play God!"_

" _Are you really that desperate?"_

" _You don't think resetting anymore is a good idea, huh? Glad you finally see things my way."_

" _It's all your fault. It's all because you made them love you."_

" _What an..."_

" _You really are an…"_

" _ **Idiot."**_

He rolled over and stared at the opposite wall. The television was still sitting on the dresser, turned off. The kitchen was quiet, all the chairs and pots and pans had been put away after dinner. There was nothing to fear, except the shadows. They would wax and wane at times from the pale light filtering in from the outside, but Frisk found that he was trapped. Trapped under his covers and trapped in the path he had set for himself. He had promised Sans he wouldn't RESET again. Ever. But of _course_ Flowey would have heard about it. Of _course_ she was going to abuse it to hell and back. Because he couldn't RESET without fear of breaking a promise, and he couldn't kill her because that was the antithesis to what he was working towards. So he was stuck. Stuck between a rock, a hard place, and a bottomless pit, and there was no fourth option. Frisk shook his head and rolled over again, trying to get comfortable enough so that he could slip off and worry about his problems in the morning.

It was just no use. The cushions didn't feel soft enough. The blankets didn't seem warm enough to him. His mind wasn't at ease knowing Flowey could and would strike anywhere without warning. Frisk groaned and sat up on the couch, clutching his legs and pulling his knees up to his chin as he shook his head again. "How on _God's green earth_ am I gonna get out of this one?" he thought to himself.

The silence would give him no answer; the whistling wind outside whispered no hidden secrets to him. Frisk sighed in defeat and fell backward onto the couch and his mind began to wander. How was he going to stop a near-omnipresent plant from offing whoever she felt like? She could go after anyone at any given time! Hop over to New Home and use scare tactics on the populace, then what? Go over to Hotland and skewer the Amalgamates? If the could even be skewered? Then kill Mettaton, run off to Snowdin, lure Papyrus away from Sans and obliterate him? And what if he went for Toriel or Asgore? Frisk gripped the sheets tighter and shivered. He wouldn't put it past her, going for a low-blow like that. If it succeeded, Frisk might be _forced_ to RESET. He couldn't go through all the work of bringing Asriel back just for her to be down one parent.

He sighed and rolled over to face the television again. "I wish I could protect them. But here I am just rolling around in bed feeling bad about it," he murmured.

A few seconds ticked by with nothing but the wind outside for company, but little by little, Frisk repeated what he said mentally, over and over. And over. And over. Until at last, something clicked, and he threw off the covers, stuck his feet into his shoes, and opened the front door as quietly as he could, and shut it behind him just as quietly, too. Frisk looked up and down the street. There was no one else outside at all. All the street lamps had been turned off, along with almost all the lights in the Snowdin houses. He turned and headed in the opposite direction, occasionally taking quick, nervous glances behind him; he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched, but he kept walking. He walked, then began to trot, then jog. He had gone beyond where he first fought Papyrus, and he entered into the humid reaches of Waterfall. By now, he was running as fast as his legs could carry him.

And he didn't stop, not even after he felt them burning. He didn't stop even when he felt the boards under him shudder as he charged across the boardwalk, jumping over the twists and turns built into it. He didn't even stop when he got to the gap where the little bird usually stayed, and for good reason, as that bird wasn't there anymore, having gone home for the night. Possibly. He couldn't claim to know how a little bird that carried things three times its size over small gaps lived its life.

Frisk held his breath and lifted off the ground and sailed through the air for a few glorious seconds before he came back down on the muddy ground on the other side of the gap between Sans' telescope station and the quiet place where some of the more reclusive members of the Underground liked to stay. He slowed down slightly, as he journey was near over, and he rounded the bend until he came to Undyne's house. In the cover of night (or what passed for night in the Underground), the shadows ate up the softer edges of the house, turning the glare of light reflecting off the windows more menacing. But Frisk wasn't scared of it anymore; he had more important things to do right now, and he marched right up to the door and rapped on it hard, but not as loud as he could have. He waited a couple seconds before he tried again, just a bit harder, and waited. A minute passed, but soon, Frisk heard footsteps on the otherside of the door, and could hear Undyne's complaining before she even opened it.

"Geez, do you people even know what time it is!? It's like, eleven at night, I'm trying to sleep, and-"

Undyne's words died in her throat when she looked down to see Frisk staring right back up at her. Before she could ask why he was there, he stated plainly, "Undyne...I'm ready to join the Royal Guard."

* * *

A/N: Those of you who have seen this on AO3 know what Frisk means when he said he only understood the concept of what Gaster was saying in the previous chapter (spoiler: he was talking in Wingdings bc FanFiction doesn't support some of those symbols for some goddamn reason).

This was originally going to be part of the previous chapter, but I kinda liked the mysterious vibe the last chapter gave off on it's own. No, it's not because of padding. I'm not padding out anything, you are.


	14. My Heart

My Heart

"Okay, punks, listen up!"

Frisk shifted uncomfortably as he looked down the line of Monsters decked out in armor or some other form of clothing that denoted their place in the Royal Guard.

"We got us a new recruit!" Undyne brought her hand down on Frisk's shoulder and gripped it. It made him flinch a little. The two of them were standing side by side in a snowy clearing on the outskirts of Snowdin Town itself. There were other guards all arranged in a line facing them, mostly featuring the Canine Unit. The only ones who stuck out were a platypus-looking Monster, a humanoid wearing half a blank mask that obscured its upper-face, Papyrus, and himself, not counting Undyne. "They're a good kid," she continued, "and I trust'em completely! Not that I don't trust _you_ guys, I'm just proving my point!"

Frisk glanced up and down the line; he was obviously nervous. Not because he was _afraid_ of everyone else...on the contrary, he'd be more scared of standing next to an angry chicken. What he _was_ afraid of was that he had no idea what he was signing up for. The day after he told Undyne he wanted to join the guard, she'd dropped by Sans and Papyrus' house the next morning to drop off a uniform that conveyed his place as a recruit. He was wearing it now; it was a simple off-white tunic with pants tailored to fit snugly but not tightly, as well as knee-high boots that tapered off on the outside of the respective leg they were on, on top of having curled toes. From what Undyne had told him, however, all of that was customizable and interchangeable. The _only_ thing that needed to stay on him was a light purple mantle that came halfway down his back and tapered to a point in the front so that it looked like a cape that had shrunk in the wash. This was for the Delta Rune symbol embroidered on the back.

But other than that, when he'd asked what his first day would be like, she only grinned at him and then left without a word. He wasn't looking forward to finding out. Frisk was taken out of his thoughts when Undyne slapped him on the back and pushed him forward a bit. "Alright, that'll do it for introductions. Go get in line, recruit."

Frisk did as instructed, and took a place at the end of the line next to Papyrus and he stood facing Undyne with his hands behind his back. Barely a second passed before Papyrus leaned down and whispered, "FRISK, I AM SO EXCITED! YOU'RE ACTUALLY PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

Frisk couldn't help but smile, despite his neurosis. "You're not jealous I _technically_ got into the Royal Guard before you?" he whispered back.

"ARE YOU KIDDING?" Papyrus replied. "I AM _INSANELY_ JEALOUS! BUT I DON'T MIND IT THAT MUCH BECAUSE YOU ARE PART OF THIS FAMILY!" Frisk's breath hitched and he blinked a couple times to dispel the mist. "AND ONE DAY, I WILL BE RIGHT UP THERE WITH YOU! YOU'LL BE ABLE TO LEARN SO MUCH FROM ME!"

" _Heh._ I'll be looking forward to it."

Their conversation ended just in time. **"Okay, people!"** Undyne bellowed, **"I know how much you guys love gettin' into the action, but first...we gotta warm! You! Up!"** She raised her fist and an energy spear materialized in her grip, and she spun it around before slamming the tip into the ground and made it stick. **"You know how it goes! You chumps are gonna run fifty laps around this clearing, then do a hundred crunches, and then...THEN…!"** She trailed off and a downright maniacal grin crossed her face as she leaned forward and hissed with a...disturbing amount of enthusiasm, **"I'm gonna mark the ground so you can do** _ **suicides.**_ **Ready…?"**

Frisk didn't have the time to ask what kind of exercise "suicides" were before Undyne bellowed, **"MOVE…!"** and in the blink of an eye, the rest of the squad took off. Frisk followed after them as fast as he could. The Canine Unit was obviously the most adept at working these exercises, if Greater Dog leading theany indication. By the time twenty laps had passed, Frisk felt his lungs slowly giving out, but he kept pushing himself forward. Then he got to thirty. Then forty. Then forty-five, then forty-six, then forty-seven, then _oh Christ, why are all these laps just crawling by, someone please release me from this hell._

Fifty laps over, and everyone in the squad stopped in their places to lie down in the snow and start doing crunches. He was no different, and while he _did_ find blessed relief in falling on his back, it only lasted for a few second before he heard Undyne yell, **"If I don't hear you counting, you're gonna have to start over from scratch!"** which prompted him to quickly start pulling his upper torso up as he counted out loud.

Papyrus was right next to him, and while he was obviously tired and drenched in sweat (how _do_ skeletons made of magic sweat?), he didn't seem as miserable as Frisk felt. The only part of the exercise that made it not-immediately-horrible to live through was the fact that sometimes, Lesser Dog would get carried away and start rolling around in the snow without a care in the world, at which point Undyne would have to bark (pun not intended) at them to keep up with everyone else. After what felt like _another_ eternity, Frisk finished his quota of crunches, and stood up; he almost fell over from doing it too quickly as the blood rushed to his head, and Papyrus valiantly jumped in to keep him steady.

Everyone else finished and stood up at around the same time, and it was only when Undyne grinned and threw a spear into the ground did Frisk remember they weren't done yet. She did the same thing and threw two more spears a few feet away from the first one, and then threw three more at the far end of the field before she stepped back and yelled, **"Last warm-up, get to work!"**

Frisk only stood there for a second before he saw the other members of the Guard run to the end of the clearing where Undyne hadn't put any spears, stop, and run to the first spear and run back. He ran over and followed suit, and saw most of them repeat the same process, except they ran to the point where Undyne had lodged two spears in the ground, so he did the same. It was about then he noticed Undyne nod at them all, turn away, and walk back toward Snowdin Town through the trees. He didn't think much of it, until he was on his fifth suicide run and she hadn't come back yet. Frisk glanced around the clearing just to be sure she wasn't around and he slowed his pace to meet with Papyrus, who was faring…a lot better than he was.

"Pa...Papyrus…" he gasped.

"AH, HELLO AGAIN FRISK! ENJOYING THE...WARM-UP EXERCISES?" he asked innocently. "YOU MUST BE! YOUR FACE IS SHINY...FROM THE SHEER JOY OF BEING PART OF...THE ROYAL GUARD!"

Frisk desperately wanted to laugh, but when he tried, it came out as hacking coughs. He calmed himself down after a moment and asked hoarsely, "Yeah...So...where'd Undyne go off to…?"

"SHE'S GOING TO GET OUR COMBAT MATERIALS! THAT'S...WHEN THE _REAL_ TRAINING BEGINS!" Papyrus exclaimed happily. Frisk's eyes widened; in the intensity of the moment, he'd almost forgotten Undyne was still getting them to warm up. So much for that. This wasn't so much of a warm-up as it was a grueling reminder that he didn't exercise _nearly_ as much as he should. So he sighed and kept running. After ten minutes, he could see Undyne return from Snowdin with...a barrel of wooden poles.

" **Okay, everyone, pack it in and line up!"** She commanded, and they obeyed. The spears she'd placed before all vanished, and they quickly made for a new place in the field. **"Time to spar! Grab a pole and start beating each other up! In a friendly way!"** Everyone obliged, and lined up to take a pole from the barrel. The Canine Unit got them first, then the humanoid-thing, then the platypus, then Papyrus, then himself. When he got up to the barrel, there were only a couple of the polearms left, so he chose one arbitrarily. Frisk did take a passing glance up at Undyne, who was staring at him. She winked with her one good eye and he smiled back weakly before he walked back over to the others and took his place in front of Papyrus. They had agreed the day before to partner up for drills, especially since Sans was _supposed_ to be there, but not even Undyne could enforce her exercises on him, thanks to his shortcuts. And being unstoppably lazy in the first place.

"WELL, AT LEAST THERE IS _ONE_ THING THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN PASS ON TO YOU, FRISK!" he declared as he stood up tall with his training pole resting on the ground. "HOW TO SWING A WEAPON…! AND ONE DAY, YOU MIGHT BE AS GOOD AS I AM!"

Frisk wasn't paying much attention. He was staring up at Papyrus; at this angle, it felt like he was towering over him.

He'd been here before, in a metaphorical sense. Not like when Papyrus had fought him. This was like when he'd been _forced_ to fight.

"FIRST OF ALL...THE BASICS!" Papyrus said as he raised his hand and pointed up into the air. "THE PROPER STANCE LOOKS SOMETHING...LIKE THIS…!" He twirled the pole around his fingers like a baton and bent his knees, settling into a battle-ready stance. "NOT ONLY IS IT COMFORTABLE WITHOUT SACRIFICING YOUR DEFENSES, BUT IT ALSO LOOKS STYLISH! WHICH IS TO SAY, IT SUITS ME QUITE WELL! NYEH!"

Frisk barely heard what Papyrus was saying; he was too busy feeling conflicted. It wasn't until he heard Undyne's voice that he broke out of his thoughts.

"You okay, pipsqueak?" He jumped and whipped his head around to see Undyne standing behind him. She hadn't worn her armor, and he hadn't bothered to ask why. Maybe it was only for when she was on an official mission, he didn't know. Still, he was glad, and somewhat intrigued, that she'd taken an interest in them both. Her reasoning became clear when she said, "Ah, don't be nervous. I remember my first time, too. It was hard, and I was a sweaty mess at the end."

Frisk couldn't help but snort, trying to hold back his laughter, and when Undyne realized it, her stare became pointed as she frowned at him. When Frisk realized Undyne was glaring at him, he coughed and immediately went quiet. And yet, Undyne ended up smiling wryly at him before she reached down and ruffled his hair. "Wow, _real_ mature, Frisk."

Papyrus glanced between them both for a moment before he piped up, "...I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. WHY WAS FRISK LAUGHING AT YOUR FIRST TRAINING SESSION?"

"Uh...I'll tell you when you're older, okay?" Undyne replied.

"HMM...ALL RIGHT, THEN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL WAIT FOR THESE MYSTERIES TO BE REVEALED IN ALL THEIR APPARENT HILARITY!"

Frisk didn't realize how much he needed that until now, and quickly and naturally settled into a battle-ready pose, a smile plastered all across his face. Before he could tell Papyrus he was ready, he felt Undyne lean on his shoulder. "Listen, punk," she said in a mock-whispering tone, "since this is your first day, I'll give you some pointers. First off, you remember what I said about Papyrus, right?"

"Yeah."

"Right, well, that's because he might not want to attack, but he's really good at defense."

"UNDYNE! PLEASE STOP GIVING THE HUMAN TIPS THAT MAY OR MY NOT BE TRUE AND USEFUL!" He trailed off and lowered his staff a bit before he added, "...PLEASE," in a sotto voice.

Undyne and Frisk broke into spare laughter before Undyne slapped him on the back and said, "Alright, punk, good luck! I'll be watching, so you **better** make me proud!" Frisk turned back to Papyrus and lifted his polearm up to show he was ready. In response, Papyrus chortled a couple times and raised his pole as if daring Frisk to try. And try he did.

Frisk swung left to test the water, and was easily blocked. On the rebound, he swung right, and was blocked again. "WELL, YOU HAVE THE BASICS DOWN. SO THAT'S A START!" Papyrus said encouragingly. "TRY TO KNOCK ME OVER!"

Frisk only rolled his eyes and tried to go for something more advanced. He swung from the left again, and Papyrus ducked under. Frisk used this momentum to turn around completely and bring the pole down into an overhead smash; Papyrus proved himself slippery and scuttled out of the way. Frisk scowled, licked his lips, and advanced one step as he swung several times in rapid succession from side-to-side, something he'd picked up from Asgore. Papyrus either kept dancing backward or simply blocked his blows.

"GOOD, FRISK, BUT _NOT_ GOOD ENOUGH!" Papyrus declared. "YOU MUST ADVANCE WITHOUT FEAR! SHOW THEM YOU ARE THE GUARDIEST GUARD WHO EVER GUARDED! SETTLE FOR _NOTHING_ LESS!"

He paused for a moment and sighed, but quickly shook his head and took a step forward and began swinging in whichever way looked like an opening. Papyrus, however, made sure nothing got past him; block high, block low, duck down, sidestep and continue. Frisk squinted and in a fit of pique, he started dashing around Papyrus and started to swing for his legs. He felt his heart slamming against his ribs as he continued, and the struggle was made all the more futile with Papyrus just blocking him out in every direction. Eventually, Frisk felt the strain on his lungs and muscles catch up with him and he slowed to a crawl, panting and out of breath.

Papyrus' face knit itself into a frown. "FRISK, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"I...yeah…" he gasped.

Papyrus stood up straight and stood his pole up on the ground like a walking stick. "WHILE I AM IMPRESSED WITH YOUR TACTICS, I NOTICED YOU WERE NOT HITTING AS HARD AS YOU COULD POSSIBLY BE. ARE YOU AFRAID OF HURTING ME?"

Frisk felt his throat dry out and constrict completely; he gasped quietly a couple more times before he nodded in acknowledgement. Papyrus was silent for a moment, then he explained, "NYEH-HEH-HEH! YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT! EVEN THOUGH I AM INCREDIBLY TOUGH ANYWAY, IF YOU DON'T _WANT_ TO HURT ME, YOU COULD PUNCH ME AS HARD AS YOU WANT! THANKS TO _THIS..."_ He struck his armor to emphasize the point, "IT WOULDN'T EVEN TICKLE!" Frisk only continued to stare up at him. He didn't know if the others were looking at them right now, but he didn't care. "OKAY, FRISK?"

Frisk was quiet for a second, but eventually he whispered, "Okay." Papyrus grinned and reached down to help him steady himself out, which Frisk took.

But he was lying, if only to spare an awkward story that everyone would be better off not hearing. He could still recall the image of Papyrus opening his arms and welcoming him once, crystal clear...and he still remembered how he responded. Normally, it would have made him sick.

The tiny white dot he saw floating around behind Papyrus' head made him sicker.

"ALRIGHT, THEN!" Papyrus said, oblivious to the look on Frisk's face. "NOW THAT WE HAVE SETTLED _THAT_ DETAIL, LET'S–WHOOF!"

Frisk barely registered diving forward, and the next thing he knew was that he heard a bullet ricochet off the ground somewhere behind him and he had tackled Papyrus. His head was still swimming when he felt someone lift him up by the collar of his shirt. "What the heck is going on with you two? Are you both okay?" He swiveled his head to see Undyne with an expression of peevishness and confusion.

Papyrus also pushed himself up to his feet quickly and began, "NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, UNDYNE! FRISK WAS MERELY AFRAID THEY'D HURT ME, SO I ASSURED THEM I WOULD BE ALRIGHT, AND THEY GAVE ME A VERY FORCEFUL HUG! NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!"

Before she could reply, dozens of seed bullets materialized in a ring around all of them. Undyne dropped to the ground of reflex and let go of Frisk in the process, who knew exactly what came next...and what he had to do. He took one step forward and shoved Papyrus down before the seeds all collapsed inward onto one point.

The place where Frisk was standing.

Knives tore through his body, and Frisk felt all the air forced out of his lungs. He screamed and fell forward, and barely kept himself upright on his hands and knees. To make matters worse, vines began breaking the surface of the ground all around the clearing and began to swat at the Royal Guards. Frisk didn't know how long he'd been left weakened on the ground exactly, but it couldn't have been much longer than two minutes as he felt Papyrus lift him up onto his back. Frisk's vision refocused to see every member of the Guard in the clearing engaged with one or maybe two vines at tall as some of the trees surrounding them. "YOU HAVE KEPT ME OUT OF DANGER, FRISK!" he heard Papyrus call back to him as they began to move away from the chaos. "IT IS TIME TO RETURN THE FAVOR! AND THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HURRY BACK AND BEAT UP ALL THESE NASTY VINES! AND BE A HERO! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-H–"

A split second later, a vine burst out of the ground to their left and swung itself around in a wide arc, which hit Papyrus in the back and sent him sprawling. Frisk went with him, though he reacted fast enough to let go after getting hit, which sent him further to the right of Papyrus. He skidded to a stop and landed on his side, facing the skeleton, and for a moment, he was mortified to see Papyrus was facedown in the snow and unmoving.

" _Papyrus…!"_ Frisk bolted upright and stumbled over. "Papyrus, please don't die! Please...! No, you _won't_ die! You're tough, right? You said so yourself! A-and Sans'll _kill_ me if you do! Please! _Please…!"_

He then became astutely aware of a shadow looming over both of them, and looked up to see the vine that had knocked them over, contracted and poised to strike again. And somewhere, deep inside, something snapped.

"You don't _want_ him!" Frisk shouted at the thing. "You want me! So come on! Come and get it!"

The vine didn't move. It didn't need to. Frisk felt the world constrict and his SOUL began to shine through his chest. He CHECKed it. "Vine, ATK-? DEF-?. A concentrated form of chlorophyll. What did you expect?"

The vine lunged forward and Frisk dove to one side. The attack missed completely, and Frisk grimaced. He knew what was going on, or at least, he knew who was behind all this. But he couldn't see Flowey _anywhere_ in the field, but he knew she had to be close by. He didn't know how to make her appear. He couldn't ACT; Flowey wouldn't buy any of it, and wouldn't stop attacking until one of them was dead. He'd have to make Flowey run away, but he couldn't do that without…

Something caught his gaze, and he could see, far to the left, the other Guards were valiantly fighting off the numerous vines on their side of the field, Undyne being the most belligerent. But he could see the barrel with about two poles left inside it, and before he knew what he was doing, he broke into a mad sprint for it. After only one second, he felt the ground vibrate and the wind to his right whipped as the vine lunged down and struck the ground next to him. Considering he was on low health now, he was glad it missed, and weather it was dumb luck or divine fiat, he didn't care. He managed to reach the barrel and ran by as he grabbed a staff. Good thing, too, as the vine slammed into it and cause the barrel to explode into tiny fragments.

Frisk slowed down and turned to face the giant vine head-on, and held the staff as if it was his only child.

It's not a knife or a glove or a gun...but that's okay.

The vine had left holes in the ground from where it burst out, and now it had moved almost half the length of the field to face Frisk down. He only stared at it with a stone-cold gaze, but his shaky breath and sweaty hands betrayed him. He didn't _want_ to fight Flowey, but she wasn't giving him the luxury of a choice this time around. And of course...what if he accidentally went too far?

That question had to wait as the vine swung itself around like it had when it knocked Papyrus out. Frisk jumped over it, and then it came back around again; Frisk barely had time to duck down. A second too late and he was sure his head would have been knocked clean off his shoulders, but he didn't think about that long. In fact, he popped right back up, wound up, and swung from left to right. The next thing he heard was a loud _*CRACK*_ , and he watched the vine recoil away from him. And in the next minute...

" _YOW…!"_

Frisk spun around to see Flowey pop out of the snow behind him and on reflex, he brought his pole down to bop her on the head. But not too hard. It worked, and he heard Flowey yelp in pain again. As he pulled away, Flowey shook her head and looked up. Their eyes met briefly before Frisk blurted out, "Why are you doing this…!?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Flowey yelled back. "You're not going to reset, so _I'm_ gonna have my fun!"

"Don't you get it, Flowey?" Frisk yelled back. "I'm _not_ resetting because I'm trying to _help_ you!"

Flowey paused a moment...and then her voice started dripping with venom. "I don't _need_ your help!" Flowey conjured some seed bullets and launched them at him one by one. Frisk began dodging all around them; despite being unplanned, the pattern was mostly similar to what she used the first time he fell down. "I don't need _anyone's_ help…!" she screamed. She let loose another volley of bullet seeds, faster than the last one. Frisk dodged through them all, but as he got in close to deliver another strike across the head, Flowey pulled more seeds out of the ground. Frisk was too close to react; he felt them rip through his body and slam into his SOUL. He felt his insides burning up from the pain. He heard Flowey scream, "I never even _wanted_ help in the first place!" though it sounded distant.

In spite of all that, Frisk managed to push himself up to his feet and he looked back down at Flowey. Her face was twisted into a frown that seethed with hatred. His mind raced; he knew if he stayed here, Flowey would start killing everyone in the squad. The reason she hadn't already killed someone is, he believed, was that she was mostly focused on him. He hadn't done much, but was still a threat by way of being a human with an excess of determination so...he only had one real option at this point. He turned away and started running for the forest.

Escaped...

He didn't hear anyone call out after him; Frisk didn't know weather to chalk that up to how badly he was roughed up or the confusion of battle, but he didn't have time to worry about that at the moment. He just had to divert Flowey's attention for awhile. It was at that point, as he he wove his way through the fir trees, that he need to think of a way to get back to Snowdin without Flowey catching him and gutting him like a fish. He grimaced. As time had always proven, he'd never been good at planning ahead. As he tripped over another tree root poking above the ground, he absentmindedly put his hand up over his face and it brushed up against him. When he brought his hand down, he could see blood smeared on it. When he realized what it was, he slowed down and stopped, now surrounded on all sides by wood and pine needles. The snow and the trees muffled all the sound here. He couldn't hear any more of the fighting from before; either it had calmed down or he had run too far away. Frisk let his breathing get in check and his heart slow down before he started walking forward again. He periodically glanced back to make sure he wasn't being followed sure he wasn't being followed by any of the Guard, but the only one he was afraid of following him was...

"I don't like the game you're playing, Chara. You were always real quirky, but this is on a whole other level."

Flowey.

Frisk whirled around and froze in place instinctively. Flowey was a few feet away from him, her head bent forward thoughtfully as she eyed him up and down. She broke her silence to grin at him menacingly. "Though I'll admit...I barely remember the last time you showed genuine _fear_ when you talked to me. I'll have to make it last before I make you wind the clock back to the beginning again." She paused and coughed before she added, "Hey, genius. That's your cue to RESET."

"...No."

Flowey blinked. "Come again…?"

He swallowed and began to back up. "Flowey...please don't do this," he cautioned. "I know you're...well, being you, but...but like I said, I'm trying to help you. I just…" Frisk looked around. There really was nowhere to hide in this part of the forest. "I'm just trying to get things...s-set up."

Almost immediately, Flowey broke into maniacal laughter. _"AAAAAH, HA HA HA!_ Aw, gee, that's great! Real swell!" She dropped the happy pretense and her eyes went solid black a second later. "But what makes you think I _want_ your help? What makes you think there's something wrong with me...?"

"Because I know what you're really like!" Frisk exclaimed without thinking. "I know you! I-Inside and out by now! You...you only _pretend_ you can't feel anything! You might not feel love, but you _can_ feel fear!" He _really_ wanted himself to shut up, but then, he'd already come this far. Maybe it'd shock Flowey long enough for him to get away. "A-and deep down inside...there's a little girl who's scared and cold and wants to go home!" Silence permeated the trees. Frisk was right about one thing though; Flowey's expression went to neutral almost immediately after he started his little rant, and her eyes kept searching him the whole time. When he was done, however, it became blindingly clear he'd done nothing but push the wrong buttons.

" _...Care to_ _ **repeat**_ _that…?"_

Frisk swallowed again raised the staff he was still carrying defensively. "I'll hit you again. I...I won't l-like it, but I'll h...h...hit you."

Frisk never got to try, as a vine shot out of the snow behind him and, before he even knew it was there, coiled around his neck. To add insult to injury, Flowey pulled that vine down hard enough for Frisk to bend backward and slam into the ground. "I gave you the opportunity to RESET while you still had the chance." Frisk's eyes opened to see Flowey hovering just over his face; her grin had grown wider than her face, which was nothing new. Her eyes, on the other hand, had been ripped straight out of a slasher comic book, wide, all black, and pinprick white pupils.

" **But if you won't, I'll** _ **happily**_ **get you out of my way!"**

Frisk was panicked for a moment. Then he panicked harder as he asked himself, _When's the last time I saved?_

" **DIE."**

Frisk closed his eyes and waited. There was a loud, screeching sound that warmed the air, and for a moment, Frisk thought he _was_ dead, but he felt the vines around his neck go slack and release him almost immediately, and he opened his eyes again to find Flowey wasn't staring down at him anymore.

And he just managed to catch the tail end of a blue energy beam dissipate in the air. Frisk rolled over without hesitation, away from Flowey, and saw that she was staring back the way he had run from, her face back to normal proportions and visibly panicked. Frisk looked too.

Several feet away from them both was Sans, hunched over with his hands in his hoodie pockets; behind him, a giant, draconid skull with piercing blue eyes and the aftermath of an energy beam fading from its maw. Sans, however, was oddly silent for a few minutes before Flowey overcame her fear (or at least most of it) and taunted him. "H-hey, trashbag! You _missed! Eee-hee-hee-hee-hee!"_ The forest fell silent again before Sans took a step forward, revealing his smug smile clearly.

"good thing i wasn't trying to hit you."

The next then Frisk and Flowey knew, there was a creak, a groan, and the both of them looked back to see a tree trunk tip over and fall squarely on top of Flowey, complete with a loud crash and the same high-pitched "OW!" she used when Toriel would throw fireballs at her. Frisk covered his face at it hit the ground the threw snow in every direction, but his panic only shined through when the dust settled. When he saw Flowey poking out from under the tree, stem and all and intact, he didn't know wether to be relieved or worry more. Before he could even moved closer to make sure she was alright, he heard some sort of rushing of air and Sans appeared by his side, towering over the both of them.

"listen, kiddo," Sans began as he looked down on Flowey, "i don't know what you think you can get by just attacking my brother, his friends, frisk, or anyone else too stupid to get in your way, but it ain't gonna work." Flowey looked a little worse for wear, a couple bruises on her face, but other than that, she was alive. "so maybe if you stay out of our business, we won't have to wreck yours," Sans continued as his eyesockets went black.

Flowey stared up at him for another moment before she hissed, "I'll kill you someday," and disappeared below the snow.

Sans only chuckled and replied, "i know. lookin' forward to it," even though he was certain Flowey couldn't hear him. He turned around and picked Frisk up out of the snow and dusted him off. "you okay, bud?"

"S...Sans, you…" Frisk trailed off.

"not bad, huh, frisk?" He paused a moment before he added in a low tone, "or have ya seen that party trick already...?"

Frisk opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by shouting from behind them, and they both turned to see several figures stomping through the woods and deep snow toward them. After another minute, they all came into focus: it was Lesser Dog, the Dogi, and Undyne, who had Papyrus supported on her shoulder. To say he looked a little out of it was...being generous. "What...the **hell** just happened!?" Undyne yelled when she finally stopped.

"looks like you got into a scuffle," Sans said as he eyed Papyrus. "...is he okay?"

"Gee, I hadn't noticed!" she shot back. She paused and sighed. "But yeah, your brother's okay. Just…" She glanced over at him. He looked incredibly dizzy and was staring off into space. "Well, I'll say this much, he's exempt from patrol duty for a few days."

"THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF THE CAKE. THAT CURSED FOOL OF A TABLE ATE IT," Papyrus jabbered.

"Case in point," Undyne said.

Sans winced and for the first time that day, his smile faltered. He reached out and asked, "can i, uh…?"

"...Yeah, of course." Undyne offloaded Papyrus onto Sans as gently as she could despite her gruffness, who kept him supported as best as his short body could manage.

"HUH? WHAT'S HAPPENING?"

"Hey, woah, it's okay, bro," Sans soothed. "everything's okay."

"SANS…? WHAT'S GOING ON?" Papyrus slurred. "WHY ARE YOU HERE? AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE RANCH AND SERVING DRINKS?"

Sans shrugged and tried to play along. It was certainly a lot easier than trying to explain what happened. Then again, it would probably be hard to explain what happened if he was _lucid._ "uh...i had the day off?" he said. "doesn't matter, we just need to get you home and in bed. you tired?"

"THE SQUARE ROOT OF ELEVEN IS BREAD!"

"i'm gonna say yes."

Undyne nodded once at the two skeletons, but her grin disappeared almost immediately as she looked down at Frisk. Her eye narrowed and Frisk suddenly wished he could be anywhere else in the world. "With that out of the way…" she fumed as she pointed at him, "what the **hell was that all about!?"**

Frisk bit his lower lip. "What...what was what about?"

Her eyes narrowed even more. **"Don't pretend you didn't see anything!** First there were vines and we were fighting for our lives and then out of nowhere, I look over and you're talking with a flower!" Undyne yelled. "And it sounded like you two went way back! Is she your rival or something?"

"...No…"

Undyne's stare got so intense, Frisk could almost feel the heat on his face. "What, don't tell me she's your friend…? 'Cause if she is, she **sucks** at it! Tell her to knock it off next time you see her!"

"I can't! She won't listen to me, she's...um…" Frisk glanced over at Sans, who was only staring at him with a sorrowful grin as if to say "Sorry, even I can't help you here." He continued to look around at all the glaring faces from the other Royal Guard recruits, and Undyne's above all. "She's sick!"

Frisk had no idea where that came from; for a moment after, he thought he'd only _heard_ himself yell it, but there was no way to back out now. "Yeah, she's, um...really sick," he explained. "It's a...a mental thing. She doesn't realize she's attacking people most of the time."

"So you can't get her some help!?" Undyne yelled. "Like, go to Alphys or someone who knows stuff about how to heal people!?"

"Medicine doesn't work!" Frisk was gambling on the biggest ass-pull he'd ever made in his life. "I already tried that, I asked Alphys if she could help her and everything! A-and neither does healing magic, Alphys told me herself!"

Mission control, the ass-pulling has reached critical levels.

Undyne groaned and facepalmed, which prompted Frisk to add, "We... _I'm_ trying to get her help, a-and I'm getting closer!"

Undyne shot a sideways glance at him and sighed, and then waved her hand. The guards behind her took one glance at each other and began to walk away. "Tell the others not to log this in the archives," she called after them.

Lesser Dog barked in agreement as they slowly made for the field again, and Undyne motioned for everyone to follow. Frisk let the silence linger for a moment before he quietly said, "Um...thanks, Undyne. I know you're mad and probably...probably want to beat that flower up, but not telling anybody about it means a lot to me."

He didn't dare look up for a moment, but when he did, Undyne was smiling down on him gently, for once. "Don't worry about it, punk." Undyne sighed and glanced around at the three of them and said, "I think at this point we just need some rest. Training's done for the day, people." She looked down at Frisk and whispered, "And don't tell Papyrus, but you did great! Hard to believe you're the same little punk I knocked into the water a few days ago!"

Frisk pursed his lips and looked away. "...Thanks."

* * *

Sans woke up from his half-pseudo-mid-evening nap with a certain hole in his nonexistent stomach. It meant he craved sustenance, specifically a drink. It wasn't just any thirst either; this was a mighty thirst, the kind that could only be quenched by tall, ice cold bottle of ketchup.

Well, that and he could also feel something was wrong in his gut. Not like in how everything went wrong at training earlier that day, but...he felt like someone needed to talk to him.

He sat up and slid his slippers on and shuffled toward his door, and opened it up. The house was dimly lit now. He, Papyrus, and Frisk hadn't done much since the chaos of the afternoon subsided, and thankfully Papyrus had gotten over most of the shock by dinner time. He was still in no position to cook, at least according to Sans, so he went to Grillby's and got them takeout; Papyrus ate, but not without grumbling the whole time. Frisk had been near silent the whole day since then, too.

The little bugger was on the couch, wrapped up in blankets, and his eyes were shut. Sans sighed and shuffled his way down the stairs and around to the kitchen. He opened up the fridge. There were several plates of spaghetti crammed into every available space, as usual, but Sans took out a couple and reached into the back until he found one of the bottles he had been... _saving._ In the loosest sense of the word. He took it out, popped the cap off, and took a swig.

"ah, that's better," he said to himself. He walked over to the kitchen entryway and leaned on the wall as he took periodic sips from the bottle. As he did so, he mulled over what had happened. Flowey was getting too bold, that's all he knew. If they didn't pull some miracle out of a hat soon, he had no idea what she'd try next. All he knew was that she'd get more and more depraved and more and more desperate until she finally won. What Flowey would do after and during that episode…

Sans found himself shivering a bit. He really didn't want to think about that right now. And yet...she seemed more focused on going after Frisk. Sans had several theories for why that might be, but he couldn't prove anything without hard evidence that he didn't even know where to find. He eyed Frisk again and sighed. "you're not foolin' anyone, kid. but i can't say i blame you for staying awake, though." He saw Frisk open one eye slowly, and the other, and then he sat up. The look on his face made him look like he'd aged thirty years in several hours. "thought humans were at the top of the food chain," he continued as he came closer. "what's _eatin'_ ya, frisk?"

Frisk tried not to smile, but he couldn't help himself. However, he dropped it just as quickly. "...Maybe this was a bad idea."

"tryin' to help the weed? hey, glad to see you still got some sense in ya." Sans raised the bottle of ketchup in a mock toast.

"No, Sans," Frisk replied. "Maybe joining the _Guard_ was my mistake. I mean…" He laughed bitterly. "I'm out of shape and I can't even fight that well. And I...I…" He choked a bit and whispered, "And I almost got Papyrus killed…"

Frisk hung his head and tried to keep the sorrow from overwhelming him; Sans' smile began to flatten out into a neutral grimace before he cleared his throat, which brought Frisk's head up to look at him. Sans placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, "no, no, no. you didn't put him in any danger, and besides, he's okay, isn't he? look, the story now is that you got through the worst of it, so don't worry. everything's okay, bud."

"Well, what about Asriel? Nothing's gonna be okay until _she's_ brought back! I _know_ she wants to be saved, but she can't act against her nature!" Frisk sighed dejectedly and held his head in his hands. He chuckled weakly after a moment. "It's _really_ hard not to call her by her real name, you know?"

"jeez. it always goes back to that, doesn't it? how it ain't fair to her, how you keep tellin' me she matters more than you do. you really like her, huh?"

"...And just what the heck is _that_ supposed to mean?" Frisk shot back.

Sans shrugged. "nothing, really. i just think it's really admirable how one person can be so dedicated to someone else."

There was silence, for a moment. Then, Frisk smiled. And he laughed. It wasn't loud and hearty; it was quiet and small. A little boy who was relieved that his friends and family were going to be okay, and that one day, they'd all weather the storm. And they'd do it together.

Frisk kept laughing for a couple moments and Sans smiled at him reassuringly. But the longer he looked, the more his senses picked up on it. He could see it beneath Frisk's skin, swimming behind his brilliant hazel eyes. He noticed the telltale signs in his smile that were invisible to everyone but him, and his own smile began to fade. Sans furrowed his brow, and Frisk took notice, but before he could ask what was wrong, Sans said, "frisk, you...you got tougher."

He looked confused for a moment, but Frisk replied, "I...I'd like to hope so," with a defeated smile.

"no, frisk," Sans stated, "i mean _you_ _got tougher._ i can read your hp. i think...it went up."

Frisk needed a moment, but once he absorbed Sans' message, his jaw hung open. After the awkward silence, Frisk began looking around in a panic. "B-B-But I never...But I didn't kill...I-I-I didn't _hurt_ anyone…! I swear...I _promise_ I didn't! I didn't _want_ any LOVE! I _don't_ want any LOVE! I can't just...I can't just-"

"hey, woah, woah, calm down." Sans shushed him and knelt down in front of him. "i said you got tougher. never said anything about LOVE."

Frisk was dumbfounded into silence for a moment before he tentatively asked, "Th-Then...then how…?"

Sans sighed and a pause settled over them both. At length, Sans said, "i can't claim to be the expert on things like this, but my guess is it's magic."

Frisk still had his mouth a gape for a couple seconds before he closed it, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. "Does it _always_ come down to magic?" he remarked.

"hold on now. i ain't done talking," Sans replied as he winked and held up his index finger. "see, here's the thing: G was studying humans while he built the CORE. and he studied'em _a lot._ the guy had pillars of books in his office, and i was able to read some of them. not all, but enough to know that way back when, when wizards were more plentiful and magic was, like, everywhere, some humans got more powerful from just...being steeped in magic. it said the most powerful ones could mold their own SOULs into personalized weapons." Sans looked away for a moment and chuckled. "'course, i used to think it was a load of malarkey. but now i think you just being here proves me wrong."

Frisk had to think about that for another moment before it clicked. "...Are you telling me...that I'm a wizard?"

"eh, no." Sans shrugged. "i'm saying you might be a really powerful human. you got all that determination inside you, right?"

"...Yeah."

"then maybe give it a shot. i think i read that being able to physically manifest your SOUL outside your body's the telltale sign someone's got the makings of high magic. think you can do that? just to be sure?"

Frisk gazed up at Sans for another moment before he muttered, "I'll try." He breathed in and leaned forward, bringing his hands up to eye level and he concentrated. For awhile, nothing happened. But then, a feeling of heat began to permeate the house and Sans' eyes continued to widen as he saw first a mass of red mist smattered with twinkling lights, then watched as it coalesced into a beating red heart. When it all was said and done, he looked up at Frisk; the human was staring at him, too, though he looked...apprehensive.

"...have you done that before…?"

"...Once."

Sans furrowed his brow, but he could tell what Frisk was thinking by tone of voice alone, and he knew not to press further. "...well, on the bright side, we know you got that special something."

They both went quiet again for a few minutes, staring at Frisk's SOUL. Frisk eventually broke it. "Sans?"

"hm?"

"Do those books ever say how humans made their SOULs into weapons?"

Sans' grin faded a bit. "Um...hard to say. All i know is that whoever wants to use their SOUL for a weapon is said to take hold of it and, uh…'let it work?' probably means just let whatever happens happen."

Frisk took that to mean that basically, all he had to do was hold onto his own SOUL. But how tight was he supposed to grip it? Did it even matter? He pursed his lips and stared intensely at his own essence. And then, as he felt his own determination welling up inside him again, he raised his left hand and took hold. He knew what he needed; a sword, with a grand, thick blade and a gilded hilt and pommel. That would be his weapon.

But instead, he suddenly felt his palm burning, and his eyes shot open and he yelled and retracted his hand. A red light had been building up there, and when Frisk broke his concentration, it dissipated in a flash of light, along with his SOUL. The red heart shuddered and rushed back into his chest. Sans had watched it all with fixed intensity, and when Frisk cried out in pain, he winced and leaned over to support him. They both went quiet, with Frisk nursing his burning hand. At length, Sans said, "...maybe you should just get some sleep. been a long day, y'know?"

Frisk took a glance up at him; his face looked neutral, but his eyes radiated several emotions, disappointment first among them. Still, he laid down and pulled the blanket over him and rolled over. Sans heard him mutter, "Okay…" and that was just about the end of it. He didn't go back up to his room, of course; that would have been rude, and he was was already closer to where he decided on going next. Sans remained kneeling next to the couch, stroking Frisk's hair, until he drifted off to sleep. Sans wanted to do the same, but after what had happened today, he had bigger fish to fry.

"hey, kid, i know you can't hear me...at least, i think...but if you wake up before i get back, don't worry." Sans headed for the door, but before he left, he whispered, "just gonna do something i should've done a while ago."

* * *

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap…"

Alphys had been running all over her lab since that morning. She had _planned_ to get some more "research" in, and then watch _Mew Mew Kissy Cutie_ to unwind, then watch a couple different animes, _then_ check Mettaton's show to make sure he was doing well, but what her surveillance cameras had picked up in Snowdin left her reeling. And even _that_ term was an understatement.

At first, she had no idea what those vines were, or who they belonged to, if anyone could claim ownership of them. Then, she saw a tiny yellow flower pop out of the ground when Frisk hit the vines. Her _entire_ world didn't come crashing down around her, but boy, one half of that world got hit by a meteor and it sure as hell wasn't going to recover anytime soon.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, no no no no no nonononono…"

Since then, she had rode the elevator down to the True Lab over twenty times just to pull up old files and research reports, made even more arduous by the Amalgamates pestering her for food at every turn. "Okay, o-okay," she rasped to herself, more than out of breath by now, "okay Alphys, you c-can handle this, just, um...just f-find...Undyne...wait, no, bad idea. Go t-talk to Asgore, tell him...no, no, _really_...bad idea, um…" She shot glances around the lab, looking for something that could help explain this phenomenon. "Gotta f-find a way to explain this...nobody panic, nobody panic...uh, maybe I could...I could call that flower part of an ancient species…? No, wait, Asgore won't want to kill it, then, _crap,_ um…"

Alphys was abruptly taken out of her panic state by a knock at the door. She froze instinctively and cautiously turned her head toward it. After a moment, however, she thought she heard a voice, but the heavy steel muffled it. The voice tried again after another minute, louder. "knock knock."

Alphys didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened. Sans was a lot sharper than most people gave him credit for, herself included. But still, it wasn't like he knew she was responsible for creating a flower with no SOUL, wasn't it? "...Who's there now?" Alphys replied as she approached the door.

"doris."

"Doris who?"

"doris locked. s'why i'm knockin'."

Alphys couldn't help but chuckle at that, and she opened up the lab to see Sans standing around with his hands in his pockets. "I, uh, have to admit, I haven't heard...heard that one before," she said. Sans only shrugged and they stood there for another second before Alphys came to her senses and exclaimed, "Oh, my God, come in! S-sorry, I, uh...blanked for a second there."

"no prob." Sans wandered in and heard the door shut behind him. The lab didn't look the least bit different than it did before: there were still empty bowls piled high on one computer desk, the surveillance console was still up (but not running at the moment), and a large bag of dog treats by said desk. Aside from that though, he noticed the desktop itself and surrounding floor was covered in papers. He took a sideways glance at it, but he suddenly felt Alphys pushing him forward, away from the mess; he only resisted enough to keep himself from falling forward.

"So! Sans! Friend! What do you need?" Alphys exclaimed suddenly. His observance of the environment was not lost on her

"oh, i uh, wanted to talk to you about something important," Sans replied nonchalantly.

"...Oh. Okay...it's, um, not about that machine is it?" she asked hesitantly. "Like I said, I'd love to help you, but until I know what it's supposed to do, I don't think I'll-"

"it's not about that. way more important."

Alphys went dead silent. Sans could swear he heard her swallow hard before she stuttered, "...Oh...okay…"

Sans paused a moment and, before he even realized what he was feeling, doubted himself. If he opened his mouth, nothing was ever going to be the same again, but if he didn't, there may be no other way to help Gaster, and by extension, help Gaster help Frisk. This was a double-or-nothing gamble. And then, something echoed in his head, words in his voice that he thought he never said before:

" _...well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now. but you didn't get this far by giving up, did you?"_

"alphys…" Sans looked up at her. She herself couldn't quite tell what was in his eyes; it was hard enough to read the constant grin of a skeleton, anyway, but his next sentence struck a chord she didn't even know she had. "what do you think of the parallel universe theory?"

* * *

A/N: Well, I'd say the first "arc" of this story completed itself in chapter 13. I have a skeleton (no pun intended, unless you hate puns, in which case it is _fully_ intended) of an outline for this next "arc." It won't be as long as the first one, and I think there will be one more, even shorter arc before I get into the last few chapters of the story, maybe. Like, **big** maybe. I have the ending all planned out nice and neatly; wish I could say the same for everything **before** then.

...also ngl, I feel like my writing style is getting less coherent the longer I go on :/


	15. Hard CORE

Hard CORE

The Royal Laboratory was a mess of corridors and elevators that covered the entirety of Hotland. There were eight facilities devoted to biology and all subcategories thereof alone, never mind the numerous laboratories and testing chambers for studying SOULs and the nature of them. Human, Monster...both types were fair game and studied near religiously. And yet, even _that_ was still nothing before the might of the CORE, for not only was it built to power the entire Underground through magical electric conduits, it was also the very place where the most renowned scientist in the kingdom built his miracles. Confluences of machine and magic that could peel apart the very essence of time and space. W. D. Gaster was brilliant beyond brilliant, and had devised theories that a normal person would consider madness if the doctor didn't have the wit and analytical mind to back it up. This was the place where even the most sound hypotheses went to die.

Sans had, at an early age, found his adoptive father's work incredibly interesting, even more so than Papyrus. But then, Papyrus was nearly seventy-five years younger than him and still in school. Anyway, after Sans graduated, he immediately took up work in the royal lab, and since he wasn't a fan of nepotism, started off in one of the lower rungs of SOUL studies as an intern and gradually worked his way up to his father's side. It wasn't a big deal; a human would have died of old age by now, but even normal Monsters could persist for a few hundred years. The hard work and gruelling hours it took him to get here were worth it for the lab coat alone, though. "and i gotta say, i look pretty snazzy," he muttered to himself as he grinned at his own reflection in one of the many windows of the complex.

He'd been walking through the halls, the neon lights of the CORE's circuits bathing him in blue, yellow, and violet, their low buzzing a constant white noise in his ears. He'd passed a couple other scientists on his way; the CORE was enormous enough for two people to be stuck inside it and not meet for several days. And he'd never admit it to anyone, but even _he_ didn't know how Gaster had constructed the whole thing in a little over a week, especially since the whole complex could shift its rooms around without any trouble.

He shrugged. "eh. that's for dad to know and me to not worry about." After a few minutes, he came to a sliding steel door, and he whipped out a yellow key card and swiped it through a scanner. The door slid open to a large expanse of an empty room until the walls began to split along predetermined seams and rotated, revealing different pieces that slid out and and one attached to the floor beyond the threshold. Several other large chunks of the CORE detached from the larger room and fell into place behind the first piece, creating a bridge across the vertical drop. After another moment, the wall on the opposite side was cut by one of the circuits on it, creating a glowing square in the wall that rotated in place, revealing another steel door on the other side. Sans scoffed and walked over the bridge. "jeez. I dunno whether dad's sense of style is overdramatic on purpose or not sometimes." When he got to the other side, the door slid open to reveal a sizable room, though not large, with a desk in the middle and two computer monitors on it, along with several filing cabinets. Unfortunately, they weren't being put to good use, if the stacks of papers on the desk had anything to say about it. Sans sighed as he rounded the side of the desk and sat down before he pulled a pen from his lab coat pocket and began writing on the papers. They were various forms, petitions, and lab reports made by him or sent to him for review. He sighed as he scribbled away on them and created two makeshift "In" and "Out" piles. "guess this is what i get for having an organizational disorder," he chuckled to himself. He paused to take a look around his workspace and quickly went back to writing. "well, at least my life isn't a complete mess."

He kept working on writing papers for a few more minutes. All in all, none of them were really groundbreaking; it was standard laboratory fare. He was just happy he didn't work as part of the budget and finance offices; he'd never gone out of his way to look into any of them, but he guessed their desks looked even worse than his, through no fault of their own. There were just so many workers and facilities in the lab that it was hard to keep track of. A faint but noticable buzzing sound began to pulse frequently on Sans' right, and he looked over at his personal intercom to see the "Incoming Call" light was blinking. He sighed and set down his papers and turned in the swivel chair.

Sans hit the button and said, "heya, doctor sans m.d. here, who is it?"

"SANS, PLEASE COME TO MY OFFICE AT ONCE." Sans immediately sat up at attention as Gaster's voice reached him, even though he knew his old man couldn't see. "THERE'S SOMETHING I MUST SHOW YOU," Gaster concluded.

Sans wasn't necessarily in a hurry, but he found himself walking at varying speeds throughout the CORE. Faster down stretches of halls he had seen and walked before, and slightly slower as he turned bends and jogged up and down stairwells until, at last, he stood before a magnificent metal door nearly twelve times his height, situated on a platform over a straight drop down into the glowing electrical energy the CORE siphoned from the earth. It was decorated with blinking lights, various warning signs, and large letters embossed into the metal itself, "Dr. W. D. Gaster." He certainly embraced the "mad scientist" stereotype and made the best of it, Sans couldn't fault him for that. As he approached the door, a part of the wall flipped to reveal a control panel.

" _Access code…"_

"anomaly gamma eight-zero-two."

" _Access granted."_

The doors slid apart. Unlike the others in the lab, there was a searing white-blue light dozens of feet away. From here, he could see hundreds of screens lining the walls of the room, and computer terminals all built into the outer walls, save for one, which was built directly in front of the cylinder of light in the center of the room, whose ceiling never seemed to appear. Oddly, the light never made a sound above a low hum, but he also heard the sound of clicking keys. Sans only walked forward a few steps before he heard a voice call out. "AH, SANS. AND JUST IN TIME."

There was a monster hunched over the central computer terminal and rapidly typing away. The monitor was awash with data, numbers streaming across the top and bottom horizontally in opposite directions, while a kind of seismograph drew a continuous line across the middle of the screen. Unlike the ones used to measure earthquakes, it didn't move rapidly at all, in fact, it was more or less stationary. The monster working the terminal pressed a few more keys and stood up and turned to reveal himself dressed in a snow-white lab coat and a black suit underneath it. Gaster had several mannerisms that were deemed eccentric by most others, wearing highly formal clothes under his lab coat being one of them. His face looked almost like a skeleton's skull, though he had no indentation for where his nose should be, and his eyes (or lack thereof) could emote fluidly, unlike how hard bone was restricted in such matters. The same went for his mouth, as it was more expressive than the perpetual grin his two sons had, but the irony was that all the doctor seemed to use his mouth for was to grin wildly like an escaped psychopath. "I'M SO GLAD YOU COULD MAKE IT."

"hey, what else am i gonna do with my workday?" Sans asked with a wink. "what seems to be the problem, G?"

"PROBLEM? OH, NO, SANS, DON'T MISUNDERSTAND ME," Gaster said. "I SIMPLY FOUND A NEW PIECE OF OUR PUZZLE, AND I WANT YOU TO BE THE FIRST TO SEE IT."

Sans' eyes widened and he replied, "oh…! well...cool! thanks, dad, that's...really nice of you." He paused a moment and then asked, "what'dja find, though?"

Gaster tensed up as if he'd forgotten something and exclaimed, "AH, YES! RIGHT! COME HERE," as he walked over to another set of monitors to the right of the room. Sans was slightly confused but followed all the same, and when they both reached them, Gaster waved his hand horizontally across all of them, and they responded to his command by lighting up. One by one, they created a giant picture of several lines being drawn across the screen in a multitude of colors, and were being updated in real-time. As some of them traveled, new lines emerged from them and began to move forward as well. "MY HYPOTHESIS WAS CORRECT! TIMELINES! JUMPING LEFT AND RIGHT, FORWARD AND BACKWARD, STARTING AND STOPPING…!" He dragged his hand from right to left, and the lines began to move at super-speed until they all finally collapsed at one point and continued moving. "...UNTIL SUDDENLY, EVERYTHING ENDS. ISN'T IT FASCINATING?" He dragged his hand back, and the graph reversed itself until it finally came to rest once more. Gaster glanced down at Sans.

"i...uh...wow…" Sans muttered. "that's...man, for the first time in my life, i dunno what to say. that's nuts." He paused a moment to continue looking at the lines. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of them running along predetermined paths. He was surprised Gaster's computer system could render all of that out. And in real-time.

"BUT THAT'S NOT THE END OF IT." Sans heard his own father say that and could barely believe it. How could there be more to his theory of parallel universes aside from this? Gaster had done the impossible and could _prove_ it. Before he could ask, Gaster brought both his hands to the left and swung them forcefully to the other side. Sans saw the lines go backward, retracing their quantum steps for what felt like minutes, or maybe it was because his eyes and brain were trying to take in the sheer number of timelines being represented appearing and disappearing in rapid succession.

But then, it stopped moving. And just like the end, the screen came to rest on a single point from which hundreds of other branches on the proverbial tree stemmed. _"THERE."_ Gaster pointed with his finger, going so far as to repeat it a couple times for emphasis. "RIGHT THERE. THAT IS THE GENESIS POINT FOR OUR ANOMALY. IN YEAR…" He trailed off and flicked his fingers out as if mimicking an explosion, and a window popped up that read _201X._ "201X, SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT CAUSED THE ANOMALY TO SPAWN." He lowered his hand and stared up at the monitors with a smile plastered all over his face. "...FASCINATING. AND LOOK AT THIS!" He pointed to one of the lines in the middle of the screen, and a new window appeared that read out, _"Rosenberg angle: 0.028452°"_ After another moment, he pointed to another line in the same vicinity, and the window updated to read, _"Rosenberg angle: -0.000471°"_

"NOT A _SINGLE_ TIMELINE HAS A STRAIGHT ROSENBERG ANGLE! THAT MEANS-"

"...the underground doesn't have a set timeline," Sans finished breathlessly.

"EXACTLY! EVERY SINGLE TIMELINE WE ARE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS JUST AS TRUE AS THE NEXT," Gaster continued, unaware of his son's state of awe. "FASCINATING."

Sans said nothing. He was staring at the screens, blinking rapidly, trying to absorb everything he'd just heard Gaster tell him. After another moment he sighed and muttered, "...good god." He turned to Gaster again and said, "well, looks like you just won every science award ever for the rest of your life."

Gaster only gave him a smug aside glance. He wouldn't have noticed if the doctor didn't keep eye contact with him. "OH, BUT SANS...I'M STILL NOT FINISHED."

" _huh…?"_

"I HAVE FOUND ONE LAST THING. ONE LAST THING THAT, IN MY OPINION, PUTS THE ANOMALY INTO A WHOLE NEW LIGHT." Gaster faced the screens, raised his hands, and formed a camera window with his hands and drew them outward. The selection zoomed out until the entirety of the Underground's multiple histories were little more than an oversized dot. He then waved his hand to the right and said dot flew off to the right, and one single, thick, unbroken line of time was all that was left. It kept moving, or at least, Sans thought it was. It was a one-dimensional representation of time, after all. But soon, Gaster held up his hand and the line stopped moving, and he pointed. The monitors zoomed back in and this time what Sans saw scared him more than anything else.

A small part of the timeline, of history itself, was...vibrating. Like plasma in a container, this section of the timeline was undulating, phasing colors between black and white, and yet it was only for one small part of the timeline. Sans looked up to Gaster for answers. Despite the doctor's explanation, he was only given more questions. "AS I SCANNED THE TIMELINE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER PLACES THE ANOMALY TOUCHED, I FOUND...THIS." He lifted his hand and held his chin. "FASCINATING, ISN'T IT? THIS SMALL STRETCH OF TIME ISN'T BREAKING APART AS WE HAD HYPOTHESIZED. INSTEAD, IT SEEMS TO BE...IN FLUX. SOMETHING HAPPENED THERE, AND I HAVE SEVERAL THEORIES AS TO WHAT." He turned away from the monitor and walked over to the pillar of light surrounded by a waist-high metal fence, filled in with glass. Gaster turned back and leaned on it and continued, "SANS...I BELIEVE IT IS TIME FOR PHASE TWO OF MY PLAN."

"what? really!? you haven't even told anyone about this yet! at least _publish_ something first!" Sans exclaimed

"MAYBE LATER," Gaster continued excitedly. "RIGHT NOW, THE ANOMALY DEMANDS OUR FULL ATTENTION, AND WE MUST BEGIN TESTING IMMEDIATELY!"

Sans groaned. Once his old man got excited over a new development, he pursued that venture until he wore himself out. Gaster was stubborn like that. "well...okay," he sighed. "but that begs the question: if live testing's our next phase, who are we gonna test on first? i can't think of anyone in this facility who has enough faith in fate to step into the shrouding gate and _allow_ themselves to be blasted by CORE energy just for the chance to jump through time."

Gaster shrugged, but remained where he was. "THIS IS TRUE."

Sans shook his head and turned around. "yeah, that's what i figured. c'mon, we'd better tell r'n'd and accounting about this," he said plainly. He took a few steps toward the door before he realized his steps were the only sounds in the room, other than the buzzing energy pillar. Sans stopped abruptly and turned around; Gaster hadn't moved at all, and was only following him with his eyes. "uh...G…?" Sans asked. He cautiously took a few more steps toward Gaster.

"WELL, SANS, YOU SAID SO YOURSELF: NO ONE ELSE IN THE ROYAL LABORATORY HAS ENOUGH FAITH IN THEMSELVES OR MY INVENTIONS TO USE THE SHROUDING GATE. I _DID_ SAY LIGHT SEEMED TO BE WORKING BACKWARDS IN OUR FIRST FEW TESTS," Gaster explained.

"G, what are you talking about?"

"...AND THE NEXT PHASE OF MY PLAN SPECIFICALLY RELIES ON LIVE TEST SUBJECTS. WITHOUT ANYONE TO CONFIRM THAT SUCH A METHOD FOR TIME TRAVEL IS POSSIBLE, ALL OUR WORK WILL BE FOR NOTHING. AND THEN I WON'T BE ABLE TO ENACT PHASE THREE."

"...dad, you're scaring me," Sans said. "listen, we can _totally_ do live testing, we just…need more time to prod the photons, throw a few pieces of food into the gate and see what comes out, y'know, the usual."

"AH, BUT SANS," Gaster replied. He rolled his neck. "I'M AFRAID WE CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER. THE ANOMALY WILL NOT WAIT FOR US TO STUDY IT. SOMEONE HAS TO TAKE HEART AND GAZE BEYOND THE VEIL."

As he said this, he raised his legs off the ground and went so far as to place his left leg on one of the metal rails, and Sans was quick to take notice. "wait, dad! you can't be-"

"I AM SERIOUS," was his reply. "I'M SORRY I NEVER TOUCHED ON IT SOONER...BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO TELL YOU, AND I COULDN'T BRING MYSELF TO SEND YOU OUT OF THE ROOM BEFORE I ATTEMPTED TO TEST THE ASTRAL ENERGY OF THE CORE ON MYSELF."

"But...but…" Sans stuttered, "dad, you're not making sense! the shrouding gate is several laboratories away!"

There was a pause, for a few moments. Then, Gaster turned to face his son. He was smiling; it was the smile of a man taking one last look at a loved one before he went to the gallows.

"I NEVER SAID I WAS GOING TO USE THE SHROUDING GATE."

Before he could reply, Gaster pushed off and backward, and Sans saw his own father throw himself into the pit in the center of the room. He didn't know if he was screaming as he ran up to the railing to peer over the side; the pillar of energy began to roar louder, and Sans only caught a brief glimpse of his father falling into the column of light before said pillar brightened to impossible levels, and a reverberating explosion sounded throughout the whole room that shook monitors from the walls and threw Sans backward. The screens of the computers shattered against the metal floor, and the column of CORE energy in the middle of it all convulsed, its intensity fluctuating wildly. Sans could do nothing but stare into it as if in a trance until, to his surprise, the pillar began to swell. It was at a fixed point in the column, like a festering cyst, and it grew larger until it finally reached the critical mass and exploded outward in a disk formation, throwing light and raw magic all around the room. Sans yelled again and covered his head and his eyes; and when he looked back up again, he saw what he considered the strangest sight in the whole world.

Above him, floating in midair, was Gaster. And at his side, was also Gaster. In fact, there were almost a dozen different copies of the doctor floating around in midair as naturally as Sans would stand on solid ground. The only thing that made them all look more ethereal than they were was the fact that they all seemed to be glitching: their bodies would squash and stretch and rectangular pieces would transpose themselves away from their bodies before returning to their natural places. But the myriad of clones didn't seem to notice or care. They were busy, apparently, discussing things amongst themselves.

"WELL, IT IS CLEAR THAT IT MUST... _BEGIN."_ Unfortunately, it seemed they were all speaking nonsense.

"EXPLORATION...OF THE FIFTH DIMENSION."

One of them gestured behind him. "AND SO WE HAVE CONSTRUCTED...A SOPHISTICATED APPARATUS-"

"IT'S DYNAMIC…"

"UNBREAKABLE!" finished another clone.

"THESE PATTERNS REPRESENT ATOMIC, POWERFUL IMPULSES-"

"IT IS _NOT_ A GAME."

"OUR SIGNAL IS BREAKING THROUGH…"

"THIS KNOWLEDGE, IT MEANS-" As suddenly as their talking had started, one Gaster in the middle turned and looked down.

He looked at Sans dead in the eyes.

 **"COMPLETE CONTROL"**

Before Sans could ask just what was happening to him, that same clone of Gaster raised his arm and pointed his fingers at Sans like a gun, and a beam of bright violet energy shot out faster than a bullet. The next thing Sans knew, he felt like someone had hit him with a spiked baseball bat in his left eye. He heard himself scream at that point, and he felt himself tumble backward. There was nothing but pain shooting up every nerve in his body, but when he stopped rolling, he forced himself to look up from the cold, steel floor.

The clones of Gaster were still there, but by now the light of the energies flowing into the CORE were actually blinding. He squeezed his eyes shut as the light got brighter and the roaring got louder. Then, he heard the sucking of a vacuum that drowned out everything else.

And then everything went dark.

* * *

The next time Sans opened his eyes, he was staring at a white tiled ceiling in a sterile room with one fluorescent light buzzing in the background. He blinked a couple times and looked around. He was on a hospital bed, hooked up to a couple machines, one of which being a SOUL stabilizer. Since Monsters didn't have any true biological functions, SOUL stabilizers took on the role of a pacemaker, but for the entire body. Aside from that, however, he was the only one in the room. "h...hello…?" he called. "...anybody home?"

There was no answer for a moment, but to his left, he heard a door open and he turned his head to see a doctor walk into the room. Right behind her was…

"papyrus…?"

"SANS!"

His brother was about to rush up to him and wrap him in a bear hug but the doctor held out her arm to stop him. _"Ah…!_ Don't," she scolded. "It's likely your brother just woke up. Let him get his bearings."

"OH, RIGHT. SORRY!" Papyrus took a couple quick steps forward and knelt down at Sans' bedside. Sans himself didn't know how long he'd been out, but he felt like it had been years since he'd seen his brother's smile and...interesting fashion choices. "HOW ARE YOU FEELING, SANS?"

"heh. _bone-_ tired, if i'm gonna be honest," he replied.

Papyrus' grin disappeared and he glared at Sans for a moment before he said, "NORMALLY, I'D MAKE A BIGGER FUSS ABOUT THIS. BUT! YOU WERE ASLEEP FOR A WEEK, SO I WILL LET IT PASS!"

Sans' eyes widened. "a _week…?"_

"Yes," the doctor said. Sans looked up expectantly at her, and she explained, "You were in a coma for about a week. Someone found you collapsed on the ground to Hotland's northeast, near the CORE."

"in...hotland…?" sans repeated. "near the CORE…?" He blinked a couple times and looked at Papyrus. "papyrus...have you seen dad around?"

Papyrus' face scrunched up as he muttered, "DAD…? DAD…" He looked up as if trying to remember something, but he raised his index finger as if he suddenly remembered what he wanted to say and replied, "I HAVE NOT SEEN DAD IN AWHILE. WAS HE WITH YOU? WHERE DID HE GO?"

"uh...he's…"

"Oh, before I forget, you have another visitor," the doctor cut in. She looked at her watch and made for the door. "I'll be back to check on you in about thirty minutes, Mister Sans."

Sans turned his head to watch the doctor go, and managed to see someone else enter the room. It wasn't Gaster, like he'd been hoping. Instead, he was tall all the doorway, twice as broad, and dressed in gold armor and a flowing purple cape, complete with a crown on his head. Sans' eyes bugged out. "king asgore…?"

Sure enough, the King of Monsters stood in their presence, smiling down on them both warmly. He even had a basket of food in his hand. "Howdy!" He held out the basket to Papyrus, which of course he took. It would be rude not to, after all. "I hope I'm not disturbing your rest. I don't know what exactly happened to you, Sans, but I imagine it had something to do with heatstroke, and can't say it would be the _least_ bit enjoyable. Especially one so severe it had you hospitalized for a week!"

"i…" Sans brought his hands to his forehead and applied pressure. He _hadn't_ been in Hotland; he'd been in the CORE, working with Gaster. He'd _seen_ the scientist throw himself into the CORE itself. "i _wasn't_ in hotland, necessarily, your majesty," Sans explained. "i was talking with doctor Gaster about our experiments on timelines, and then he...he…" Sans found that somehow, he couldn't force himself to complete his thoughts. At least, not the way he wanted to. "...he made a mistake."

There was silence for a moment, before Asgore uttered, "Gaster…?"

Sans whipped his head up at the king. It sounded like Asgore was asking his name as if Sans would introduce him to the doctor. But that was wrong; Asgore had chosen Gaster to lead the Royal Laboratory himself. Saying something had gone horribly wrong would be putting the situation lightly.

After another minute, Asgore's face lit up and he said, "Ah, right! The doctor! Gosh, I'm sorry. His name slipped my mind for a moment."

"uh, your highness," Sans began, "if you don't mind my asking...how could _his_ name slip your mind? you _chose_ him for the position! He even showed you several of his inventions! heck, you invited him to have tea four times in the past year alone!"

Asgore seemed sheepish when confronted with the accusation. He scratched the back of his neck and replied, "I...am aware of that now. I admit, I don't know what came over me, I just...couldn't remember his name for a few seconds. But what happened to him? Is he all right?"

"he's…" Sans trailed off when he became aware that Papyrus was still kneeling by the side of his bed. _"...on vacation,"_ he stressed as he nodded at Asgore.

And thankfully, despite not having a clear-cut statement, Asgore seemed to understand. His face turned stoic and he nodded once back at Sans. "I will...see to it he gets home safely," were his last words as he turned and walked out of the door, leaving the two brothers in peace. After another moment of silence, Papyrus stood up

"WELL! TODAY HAS BEEN EXCITING! MY BROTHER WINDS UP IN THE HOSPITAL FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! DAD IS ON VACATION...SOMEWHERE!" He chortled happily. "PERHAPS I SHOULD MAKE A CELEBRATORY DISH! MAYBE THAT NEW SPAGHETTI RECIPE I HAVE BEEN CONCOCTING!" Papyrus turned and made for the door and called over his shoulder, "NOT TO WORRY, SANS! I WILL BRING SOME TO YOU FOR AS LONG AS YOU ARE BEING KEPT HERE!"

Sans couldn't help but chuckle. However, before he left the room completely, Sans called after him, "hey, papyrus…"

He stopped and turned on his heel, a wide grin on his face. "YES, SANS?"

"don't...don't forget about dad, okay?"

Papyrus only responded with a bigger smile. "I WOULD NEVER FORGET DAD, SANS! HE MIGHT BE ON VACATION, BUT FORGETTING HIM WOULD BE ABOUT AS EASY AS FORGETTING ABOUT YOU! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" With that, he turned the corner and disappeared, leaving Sans alone.

* * *

The hospital had kept him here for a few more days to monitor his SOUL and keep a strict eye on his recovery. Sans didn't mind. Much. Sure, having a break from work was nice, but the diligent side of him wanted to leave and see what was happening outside. What did it look like? Had the Underground even changed at all? It was obvious Gaster's...fiasco, for want of a better term, had _some_ ramifications, but what they were was something Sans didn't fully understand yet.

He did understand one thing, though, if Papyrus was anything to go by. He kept asking about what incident landed him in the hospital. Every time he asked, Sans would recount the events that led up to his being hospitalized. Each time, Papyrus asked about Gaster. At first, he'd asked when his dad was coming back from vacation; recently, he'd been asking _who_ would be coming back from vacation.

Part of Sans wanted to keep explaining everything so Papyrus wouldn't forget. The other part of him was getting more and more wounded the more he tried to keep the memory alive. Asgore was actually visiting him just as often as Papyrus, maybe a little less. That being said, he wasn't faring much better than Papyrus was; Sans had to remind him several times more than Papyrus who he was trying to find. So far, no luck, and Sans was due to be released next week after a few more tests on his SOUL and stability. He shook his head slowly and put down the newspaper he'd been reading, trying to solve a crossword.

"what the _hell_ did you do, dad?"

* * *

Sans had only seen Asgore once this past week. Papyrus didn't talk about Gaster anymore.

Sans didn't want to either.

* * *

"okay, so the matter modulator connects to…" Sans trailed off as he held the wires in his hand. "...port 1-7-b. I think." He looked back into the mess of wires, gyros, and metal behind the hatch he'd opened up in the machine. The one thing that had survived the destruction of the Royal Laboratory due to the fact it was nowhere _near_ the lab when everything collapsed. This Shrouding Gate was a prototype, but Gaster had, once upon a time, proved it worked. The problem was, he'd taken it apart and put it back together again so many times that the parts were a complete and utter _mess._ The fact that the little workshop he constructed after he and Papyrus had moved to Snowdin was cramped and had nowhere _near_ the extensions he could use to work with the prototype only made this harder. He wiped the sweat from his brow and plugged the wires in.

"now where'd i leave the exospace box…?" He got up from the stool he'd been sitting on for the past few hours and walked up to the row of drawers he kept all his tools and spare parts in. There was one for standard tools, one for the more advanced tools like radar graphs and the like, and there was one specifically for testing himself. He learned, shortly after being released from the hospital, that whatever Gaster had shot him with had done more than cause him extreme discomfort. He didn't know why exactly, but he found he could summon some of Gaster's _really_ old inventions. Gaster called them "Hellblasters." Sans was young, and connected his dad with everything when they were first introduced. He called them "Gaster-Blasters." Gaster himself was so amused that he changed the name immediately.

It was strange, how long ago that was. Of course, Sans didn't know _how_ he could call on them exactly, but he assumed it had something to do with "determination." He'd dropped off the radar of the world of science, but before he did so completely, he'd gotten a look at a blueprint the new Royal Scientist had used as a basis for construction. It was Gaster's own design, something he called the "DT Extraction Machine," but never got around to creating as research of the Anomaly consumed him. Sans left his memories behind and kept searching, unsuccessfully, for the exospace box, and after ten minutes, he sighed and turned off the lights to his workshop.

Whatever. He could keep working on it tomorrow.

* * *

"okay, so the matter modulator connects to…" Sans trailed off as he held the wires in his hand. "...port 1-7-b. I think." He looked back into the mess of wires, gyros, and metal behind the hatch he'd opened up in the machine. The one thing that had survived the destruction of the Royal Laboratory due to the fact it was nowhere _near_ the lab when everything collapsed. This Shrouding Gate was a prototype, but Gaster had, once upon a time, proved it worked. The problem was, he'd taken it apart and put it back together again so many times that the parts were a complete and utter _mess._ The fact that the little workshop he constructed after he and Papyrus had moved to Snowdin was cramped and had nowhere _near_ the extensions he could use to work with the prototype only made this harder. He wiped the sweat from his brow and plugged the wires in.

"...feel like i need something else, what was it…?" He got up from the stool he'd been sitting on for the past few hours and walked up to the row of drawers he kept all his tools and spare parts in. There was one for standard tools, one for the more advanced tools like radar graphs and the like, and there was one specifically for testing himself. Sans didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but he figured he'd know it when he saw it. After ten minutes, he sighed and turned off the lights to his workshop.

Whatever. He could keep working on it tomorrow.

* * *

"okay, so the matter modulator connects to…" Sans trailed off as he held the wires in his hand. "...wait a minute."

He looked up and around him, suddenly aware he'd been here before. Twice. Possibly. Had he been dreaming of the past few times' he'd tried to get the Shrouding Gate up and running? Sans immediately jumped up and ran over to one of the drawers. He slid it open and began throwing metal components, wires, and hardware tools out. He couldn't find what he was looking for, so he moved on to the next one. That one was empty, so he kept going, down the line of drawers and cabinets until he finally found the one. He reached in and pulled out a strange, rectangular device with wires running around and through it, two antennas at opposite ends, and a large screen in the middle. He twisted a dial on the side, which made the screen flare to life. Sans hurriedly pressed a few buttons, and the screen began to read out lines like a seismograph.

The longer he looked at it, the more he wished he hadn't given in to his curiosity.

The lines were fracturing, separating, reforming, becoming whole, and running parallel, many at the same time. Then, he saw some start, stop, and even reverse direction, just to catch back up with itself at the same point in time. He clicked another button, hesitantly, and found each Rosenberg angle. Not _one_ was at zero degrees. That could only mean that the timelines were breaking apart into hundreds upon thousands of others, if not _millions,_ even as he stood here. Whatever the Anomaly was doing, it was _seriously_ screwing with the Underground's local spacetime continuum. And knowing that, it begged the question...

Was _anything_ he did worthwhile anymore?

* * *

The big stone door at the edge of Snowdin Forest had quickly become Sans' go-to meditation spot. Of course, it wasn't meditation in the conventional sense; Sans was always busy practicing new knock-knock jokes. And ever since he heard a woman's voice reply to him, it had given him a real morale boost.

Which, knowing what he knew and seeing what he'd seen, was _really_ saying something.

And it was about that time of day again. Sans kept his grin steady as he approached the massive stone slabs and sat down on the snow in front of it and gently rapped on it. "knock-knock."

There was no answer. There was no answer for a few seconds, and for once, Sans felt his insides, if he had them, twist in on themselves. But soon, he heard a voice reply, "who is there…?" Sans frowned. Something sounded off. Normally, she sounded happy, especially after they first met. But now, something in her voice seemed...melancholy.

"avery."

"Avery who?"

Sans chuckled. "avery time i come here, we go through this."

He heard her chuckle, softly. Somehow, that put him on edge more. Normally, she'd be laughing her head off. Part of him didn't want to press the matter.

The other part of him didn't feel good letting someone else wallow in the same despair he did.

"hey, miss," he asked, "somethin' wrong?"

There was a tangible silence that hung in the air for a couple moments. Then, softly, he heard her voice whisper from the other side of the door. "If a human ever comes through this door...could you please, please promise something?"

Sans felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He expected to hear a lot of things come from her mouth. Promises made about a _human?_ That was dead last on the list.

"Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?"

Sans was stunned. He'd never even heard this woman's name. And she didn't know _his_ either. And even deeper than that...humans were powerful. They had access to determination in larger quantities than Monsters, if his memory and research was anything to go by, which, upon finding out that the timelines were getting more and more broken, even _that_ was becoming contested. But…

Someone who sincerely liked bad jokes had the kind of integrity he couldn't say "no" to.

* * *

A/N: By my projections, there's going to be more than 20 chapters to this. Which is cool, but also, why am I like this? Hopefully, there shouldn't be more than 40; if there's more than that, we'll have a problem. And by that, I mean I'm gonna have a problem struggling to get all my shit together.

(prolly should've made a Reply section sooner lol)

 **offbrandbiscuit:** Glad to see someone thinks my portrayal of Flowey is close to canon! Thanks for sticking around this long, too!

 **hi ace50:** Thanks for commenting! It was a couple chapters ago, yes, but better late than never. I'm glad to see you think this story about cyclical time is different enough to mention.


	16. Smiles and Tears

**Foreword: "Hot Air Balloon" is copyrighted by Adam Young/Owl City**

" **Free" is copyrighted by Elektronomia & JJD**

Smiles and Tears

 **12**

Frisk threw himself over the stone ledge, forgoing even the warmth of his SAVE point. There were several other things keeping him going: joy. Anxiety. Coming off an adrenaline high. And maybe, hopefully, the thought of spiting the future.

His footsteps hammered on the stone floor, then on solid ground in a darkened corridor, and then he slowed himself down as he came up to the stone archway, and he passed under it. Frisk turned, and in the dancing shafts of sunlight, he saw Asriel, just as it had been once before. When he had exhausted all possibilities and came to know everyone he considered a true friend. He smiled and ran up to her, and when she heard his footsteps, she turned around and smiled gently at him. Her expression quickly shifted to surprise when he wrapped her up in a hug. He relaxed his grip after another minute and smiled as he studied her face to make sure it was her; after suffering through a forced Neutral run, it was hard to know what to believe anymore. But after a moment, he was satisfied, sighed, and said, "Ready to go?"

Asriel blinked. "Go…?" she repeated. She fell silent and broke out of Frisk's hug and turned away. "Frisk, please leave me alone. I can't go back," she murmured, "I just can't okay?" She turned back to look at the flowers. "I don't want to break their hearts all over again. It's better if they never saw me."

Frisk's brow furrowed. He should've known. But this time, he had come prepared. "But Asriel…" he began quietly. She turned to look at him, surprised that he was talking back. "We have Alphys. And now that the surface is open, we can get help from other people! There's scientists all over the world! If they put our heads together, they can help you!"

Asriel listened as he talked, but when he was finished, she only shook her head. "No, Frisk," she whispered. "No one can help me now."

"Well, not if you think like that!" Frisk exclaimed. "Look, even if you're gonna turn into a flower soon, don't your mom and dad at least deserve to know your alive?"

"That's the problem, Frisk," Asriel chuckled grimly. "I'm not even technically alive. I died a long time ago. And I should've stayed dead."

Frisk's jaw dropped. "Wha…! Don't say that!" For the first time in his life, he raised his voice above a conversational volume. "You might be...alive in the conventional sense," he began, "but it's better than being straight up _fuuuuu_...straight-up dead and gone."

Asriel gave him a somber look and and sighed. "Frisk, even if there _was_ a way to reverse this...someone would have to get hurt, or give up their SOUL." She turned back to look down at the flowers. "And...I've seen enough sacrifices already."

Frisk opened his mouth one last time...but closed it just a quickly. It was fairly obvious he couldn't change Asriel's mind. Not yet, at least. Instead, he walked up and passed her, which got him a confused look, and it only got more intense when he sat down on the flowerbed in front of her. "...Frisk?"

"Wanna just...talk, then?" Frisk paused a moment and then lightly patted the ground next to him. Asriel didn't move at all for a few moments, and Frisk feared, just for a second, that he'd overstepped some unseen boundary. But to his relief, she smiled gently down on him, walked over, and sat down.

He talked about the surface; Asriel talked about life with Chara. Fair enough, considering that was all she really knew. Frisk didn't know how long they both sat there. In fact, he didn't remember ever leaving, but at one point, he blinked, and found himself lying on his back, staring up at the light from the surface filtering down into the cave. He sat up and looked around to find Asriel was gone.

When he left, a small yellow flower was waiting for him. He didn't linger long in the Ruins after Toriel brought him in.

* * *

 **33**

Frisk had walked all the way to the Ruins from New Home. It would have been shorter, but he got lost in thought as he walked through Hotland, and when he realized he was hundreds of feet away from the Riverperson's Hotland dock, it was too late. Still, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter. He was already jogging down the steps that led into the Ruins proper and passing the SAVE point. Frisk entered the hall and saw the archway. The archway that led to a single, lonely grave for two people.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if, one day, it would be his grave, too.

Frisk shrugged. "Whatever," he said to himself. "I'll deal with it when I die. For real." He passed under the Delta Rune and turned right, and Asriel was there, waiting for him. In the loosest sense of the word, of course. Slogging through a Neutral run and a fight with Omega Flowey just to sweep through the entire Underground again would have been grating. But somehow, Frisk found that this one, single event after it all made everything worthwhile. And every time, he felt his chest warm up and tingle. He liked that feeling.

When he got closer, Frisk coughed, and Asriel looked behind her and smiled at him. It was quickly becoming the fuel Frisk burned to get him through this mess. Neither of them said anything, but Frisk walked past her and sat down on the flowers. He then gazed up at her expectantly, and after a moment, she understood and sat down next to him. Asriel broke the silence after a moment. "You know, Frisk...this feels very familiar. Have we been here before?"

Frisk shot her a sideways glance but quickly went back to looking at the sun rays glittering down into the cave. "Um...maybe?" he replied hesitantly.

"Is it because you want to save me?" Frisk opened his mouth to reply, but Asriel cut him off. "Frisk, you really shouldn't do that. Delaying the future just because you want to help one person...it's not right."

They both fell silent for a moment until Frisk muttered a sad, "...Sorry."

Asriel shrugged. "It's okay. I can't say I mind you talking to me...and it's certainly not like I can stop you from looping time anyway…"

He knew she hadn't meant that to be hurtful, but it stung all the same.

The silence settled over them again, watching the rays of light dance over the shattered marble pillars and sourgrass flowers. It was eerily quiet, save for the music Frisk was playing over and over in his head. The tune he always heard when it was time to leave the adventure behind him and be Reunited. He could recall it perfectly by now; the melody was...very catchy, to say the least.

"Frisk, what song is that?"

Frisk whipped his head around to look at Asriel, staring back at him quizzically. He'd been listening to one of the many melodies he'd heard on his travels, but he hadn't realized he'd been humming the thing to himself. And for once, he found himself short on words. "Um...I...uh, I don't really know?" he replied. "I can just...hear music in the air in certain places. It's kinda cool, actually."

"Hm." Asriel paused a moment and said, "You know, Chara liked music a lot. They wanted to be a composer someday. I think. Maybe it was just a hobby." She trailed off and chuckled. "Ha ha. I can't really remember. It's, uh, been awhile." There was another pause before Asriel frowned and glanced over at Frisk, tilting her head to the side. "Frisk...what _is_ human music like?"

Frisk paused, due to the surprise of such a left-field question, and he grappled with it for a moment before he remembered something and pulled out his phone. "Well, uh, I think with the Barrier down I can pull up the Internet–not the _Under_ net now–and, uh…" Frisk went quiet as he pressed and clicked buttons Then, he found it and grinned up at Asriel. "Here," he said, "it's called 'Free.'" He'd only heard it a couple times before, but the irony wasn't lost on him.

He clicked the play button and immediately set the phone on the ground, and the music spilled forth instantly. He and Asriel went quiet for a moment, but she asked him, "...Are there lyrics?"

"This song doesn't have any," Frisk replied. "Besides, I don't think it needs'em."

"Oh."

The music began to build up and Frisk couldn't help but grin. Asriel commented, "This sounds like nice music to dance to."

"...Do you want to?" Frisk asked as he looked up at her.

She must have regretted saying anything, because Asriel quickly looked away and stammered, "Oh, um, no...I can't dance."

Frisk scoffed. "Me neither, but that never stopped me." Before Asriel could respond, Frisk grabbed her hand and pulled her up, and he started jumping as the drop kicked in. The sudden motion killed any chance Asriel had of protest, as Frisk swung her left and right in time with the rhythm, and just when she thought she had a small lull in the melody to breathe, it started right back up again. This time, Frisk went so far as to grab her other hand and swing them both around each other in a circle. And then, somewhere deep down, everything clicked. The light coming down, the way the flowers below them swayed, the upbeat melody...the fact the Frisk looked kind of ridiculous, flailing around all over the place.

She laughed and started to bounce in time with Frisk. He was surprised at first, but after he took a second to realize what was happening, he _beamed._ He took up Asriel's hands again and they swung themselves around each other one last time as the melody kicked back in full-force, and even though they couldn't see its timestamp, they instinctively knew it was ending. But they didn't see it as an end; it was a celebration, and they both kept dancing and twirling around until the melody grew calm. By that point, they were both tired, and fell down onto the flowerbed, laughing the whole time; at the circumstances, but mostly with each other.

* * *

 **75**

It really never got old. Frisk had practically turned talking with Asriel into a routine. Was it selfish? Yes. But something about it felt...right. He left after awhile, sometimes. Sometimes, he never left the room at all, and found himself back at the start of his adventure. It was a cyclical thing, and somehow, he thought it fit better than spending four weeks max on the surface. He entered the decrepit antechamber once more, strode confidently forward, and sat down on the sourgrass flowers, next to where Asriel was. She looked surprised to see him, and Frisk frowned before he remembered that every time he RESET after a Pacifist run, it threw _everyone's_ memories back to the beginning, Asriel and Flowey included. He scowled; he still didn't get how that worked, and inherently hated it for being a wholly random variable that really had no place. At least, he thought so.

"Um, hi, Frisk," Asriel said. Frisk glanced up at her attentively. "Did you come to say goodbye?"

Frisk shrugged. "Kinda sorta," he said as he bounced his head for emphasis. "I just kinda felt like you might...y'know, wanna talk after all that."

Asriel's eyes widened and she quickly glanced back down at the flowers before muttering, "...Yeah. There's…" She paused and chuckled to herself. "There's actually a _lot_ on my chest. But I have a feeling you already know that."

Frisk couldn't help but grin as he shook his head subtly. She was right in the literal sense and a meta sense; he'd been through this enough times to know she _always_ had a lot to talk about after every ending, and at face value, being forced to face the fact that Chara was long gone was most likely not a pleasant way to spend the evening.

...Well, they were as "long gone" as a small voice in Frisk's head could get. Asriel sat next to him and said, "Actually, Frisk...the whole time they were here, Chara never said why they climbed the mountain. All I know was that they...really hated humans. And they felt very strongly about that."

Frisk nodded. He'd heard variations of this same speech before, dozens of times; he forced himself to make it new every time. "But...it's funny…" Asriel continued. She smiled weakly. "Whenever I could get Chara to...to forget about their past on the surface, it's like they were a completely different person. They smiled. They let go of their anger, just for a little while. They couldn't even stop talking sometimes. We even had a couple...in-jokes between us." She paused and added, "Chara liked to tease me with them."

"What kind of in-jokes?" Frisk asked. "Like...dumb nicknames?"

Asriel realized she said too much and quickly looked away. "...No."

Ah, yes. The telltale sign that someone was getting too close to a well-guarded secret and had to hastily construct a wall to keep them from getting in. Frisk grinned as several possibilities materialized in his head. "What, was it 'Azzy?'" he suggested with a smug grin.

"No, Frisk. Please stop."

"Wait, I bet it was 'Az.' They _totally_ called you that, didn't they?"

Asriel just shook her head and looked at him pleadingly.

"Hm...Well, okay," Frisk began again, obviously not listening, "Only other part of your name that works would be the middle, so like…'Ree,' or something."

As soon as he mentioned that, he saw Asriel's eyes shrink and her mouth immediately sunk to an embarrassed grimace. And Frisk saw it. And, oh, he knew. He immediately stared at Asriel like he'd seen a mountain of candy materialize in front of him. "Oh, my God, that's it. Chara called you 'Ree,' didn't they…?"

"No, Frisk! Stoppit!"

"Okay, but I was close," he continued. He thought for another second and then said, "Was it, like, 'Ree-ree,' or something?"

Asriel tensed up immediately and shifted to look away from Frisk. "N-no, that's n-n-not it at all…" she stuttered.

Unfortunately, that was the _exact_ calling card Frisk was looking for, and he grinned like a monkey. "Oh. My God. That's totally it. Oh, my God, Chara _actually_ called you 'Ree-ree,' oh my God…"

Asriel stood up immediately, her red face shining through from under her fur, and a pouty look on her face. "Frisk, stop!"

"Aw, but _Ree-ree!"_ Frisk teased. That comment made Asriel clench her fists and puff out her cheeks in frustration. He couldn't help but start laughing. "Ree-ree! Fwuffy wittle Ree-ree…!"

Asriel stomped her foot and cried, "Frisk, stoppit!"

"What? No!" Frisk exclaimed. "No way! I'm just learning new things about the Underground left and right! I couldn't stop if I wanted to!" Frisk laughed a bit and commented, "Sorry, Ree-ree."

"Frisk, shut _up!"_ Asriel lunged forward to try and grab him, but Frisk backed up and kept moving away.

"Ha! You gotta _catch_ me first!"

He turned around completely and kept running, pursued by Asriel, who chased him for a couple minutes before Frisk managed to clamber up onto a rocky outcropping on the wall. It was more like a glorified boulder lodged halfway into the surrounding rock, and it was too tall for Asriel to get on top of; she couldn't climb that well to begin with, but on top of that, the nearest place she could get a proper foothold in was an indent that was a couple feet above her head. Frisk, of course, managed to get on top of the rock and stood there triumphantly. _"Friiiiisk!_ That's not fair...!" Asriel cried.

" _Pfft._ Like I'm gonna come down," he retorted.

Asriel scrunched up her face again and pouted for only a second before she jumped up and tried to slap the top of Frisk's shoes. He jumped out of the way. "Can't reach me, can you, Ree-ree?"

"Frisk!" Asriel jumped up again and missed his shoes completely. "I'm gonna get you if it's the last thing I do!"

Frisk laughed as he jumped a couple more times to evade Asriel's hand. "Oh, you can try!" This kept up for a few more minutes until the unthinkable happened.

Asriel, now thoroughly frustrated, decided that getting her hands dirty was a more than viable option. In one swift motion, she jammed her hand into a small crevasse on the rock face and pushed herself up higher than she had gone before and quickly lashed out with her free hand to slap Frisk's shoe. She fell back down with a smirk on her face. "Ha! I got you!"

Frisk froze, but slowly brought his head up to look Asriel in the eye. His blank expression made her smile disappear. "...Um...Frisk? Hey, don't...don't take that the wrong way, I just thought we were…"

"Oh, you're dead," Frisk interrupted. A second later, a huge grin crossed his face. "You're _so_ dead." He knelt and dropped from the outcropping, and by then Asriel's smile cae back and she was already running to the other side of the cave. "Get back here!" He chased her across, and she swung herself around a crumbling pillar to try and throw him off, but Frisk kept running. He eventually tagged her when she slowed down to turn away from the wall, but she got him back when he stumbled on an exposed rock a moment later.

That game carried on for awhile. Frisk didn't remember how long, but it felt like forever. And in that forever, nothing was wrong.

* * *

 **105**

Frisk blinked the sleep from his eyes. He had something soft and warm in his arms, and for a moment, he believed his adventure was over, everything before now had just been a bad dream, and he almost went back to sleep. But a seed of doubt made him check and as his eyes focused, he could see nothing else with him. He looked down and found he'd been strangling one of the many pillows Toriel had placed on his bed. It wasn't who he thought it was. Nothing had changed.

He rolled over and flopped onto his back with a groan after tossing the pillow away. Its softness was an insult to Asriel's fur and he wanted none of it. Frisk remained like that, on his back, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars Toriel had decorated his room with. It was a nice little room; he said he'd never wanted anything big. There was a desk he used for homework, drawing, and writing. It was a new hobby he'd picked up after some time on the surface, as, being the new Ambassador, he'd had to make speeches. He had help from Toriel and Asgore, of course, but soon he realized he could write down whatever he wanted on a piece of paper and it was, in a way, true; he'd written it, after all. It felt incredibly liberating. Other than that, there was his bed, which was far too big for his liking, but Toriel always said, "Do not worry, my child. You will grow into it...eventually," a door that led to a patio just for him, and a chest full of toys. They were mostly stuffed animals, something he'd found he'd been avidly collecting ever since Monsters had gone free; he'd forgotten his reasoning as to why, but at this point, it didn't really matter.

But, the longer Frisk gazed up at the ceiling, the more restless he got. _You have to go back,_ his thoughts told him, _you have to go back. Try again. Keep trying, all's not lost yet. You have to save her. Save her. Save her._

In an instant, Frisk kicked off the covers of his bed, switched his pajamas for his tried and true sweater and shorts, and walked over to the patio door. He slid it open, not necessarily caring about the noise. It was a much easier way to leave the house than trying to sneak through the halls, anyway. He walked up to the railing and gazed out into the night. Off in the distance, homes were still being built. Monsters were staying up late. Asgore was off preparing diplomatic treaties with other human dignitaries halfway across the world. Sans was probably either sleeping, or in much the same situation Frisk was in. Frisk closed his eyes and concentrated.

In a flash of white light and the rushing sound of wind, Frisk took it all away.

* * *

 **127**

Asriel had been totally quiet when he entered the cave. Frisk didn't know what to make of it at first, so he did what he'd usually been doing, and he sat down near the flowers. Asriel joined him, but she seemed more distressed than usual. At first, he was worried. But then, Frisk decided he'd had enough of just waiting in this room every time the Barrier was destroyed. "Hey…" Asriel glanced up at Frisk. "Wanna take a walk? Maybe it'll help clear your head as much as mine."

" _What?"_ Asriel recoiled backward.

Frisk shrugged. "Just a suggestion."

She kept her mouth open for a minute, but shut it just as fast. It didn't stop her from arguing after a moment of silence. "I can't, Frisk. Someone will see me."

Frisk pondered on this argument for a moment. It was true that Asriel had a deep paranoia for being seen, as that meant word would spread about a little girl who looked suspiciously similar to Asgore and Toriel, and that would result in her being looked for and found out by said Monsters. An argument such as this needed an equally strong refutement.

"So…?"

Asriel whirled her head around and stared at Frisk. She blinked a couple times and eventually stuttered, "B-b-but...but Frisk…"

Frisk cut her off. It was imperative he appealed first to persuade her. "Hey, just this once. And we won't even go far," he continued. "Just to the entrance of Waterfall, and we'll hurry right on back."

Asriel pursed her lips and turned her head away, even going so far as to lift one of her floppy ears up and trying to hide behind it like a huge scarf. Apparently, he needed the secret weapon. He batted his eyelids a couple times and pleaded, _"Pleeeease…?"_

Here eyes bugged out for a moment and she looked away completely; for a moment, Frisk was worried he ended up scaring her, until he heard a small, unsure, "I…" Nothing came after that for another minute and Frisk grew worried again. However, Asriel turned back to him with a defeated look in her eyes and whispered, "...Okay."

It took a moment for Frisk to register what she said, but when he did, he smiled wider than ever before. In no time, he hugged Asriel and led her out of the cave by the hand and into the Ruins proper. There was no one there, to both their surprise, but once they got to Toriel's house Frisk intentionally slowed down. He was right to do so; when they entered, Asriel kept looking down the right hall, and when he noticed, Frisk let go of her hand and they both walked over together. They stopped briefly in front of the first door, and it was immediately obvious to Frisk that Asriel was torn between entering the room and leaving it alone. After another minute, she reached out...and promptly retracted her hand. Frisk blinked. "...Are you okay, Asriel?"

She looked back with surprise written on her face, but quickly dropped it in favor of a weak smile. "Yeah," she replied as she looked back up at the door. "I'm just...I don't think I'm ready to look inside yet. This used to be my old room."

"I guessed," Frisk replied without thinking.

Asriel nodded. "That was...before I found Chara. A couple years after they fell, dad had the castle moved to New Home, and he made a bigger room for us to share."

Silence fell again, and it was Asriel who started walking away instead of Frisk. Of course, he didn't want to seem impatient anyway. It wasn't his home, nor his room they visited. The two kids kept walking, down the stairs, through the hallways, and out the door into Snowdin forest.

" _Aetchk…!"_

Frisk jumped and looked back at Asriel, who was rubbing her nose. "Sorry," she sniffled, "I'm, um...not used to the cold." She looked back at Frisk and said with a small laugh, "Ha...Flowey never had this problem."

Frisk paused a moment before he smiled gently at her. "Who's 'Flowey?'"

Asriel stared up at him for a moment before she smiled, too, and they kept walking through the frozen pines. They passed Sans' sentry station and wove their own path through the trees. After a minute, however, Frisk looked over at Asriel, and in a fit of pique, found himself singing a song he almost forgot from his time on the surface:

" _We wrote a prelude_

 _To our own fairy tale,_

 _And bought a parachute_

 _At a church rummage sale._

 _And with a mean sewing machine,_

 _And miles of thread,_

 _We sewed the day above L.A._

 _In navy and red."_

They passed under snow-capped branches and even tired to skate over frozen ponds. Papyrus' sentry station remained as it had been. Snowdin Town's lights shone brilliantly in the darkness under the mountain, and they entered it, Frisk still singing as his left arm wrapped around Asriel's neck kept her warm:

" _We wound a race track_

 _Through your mom's kitchen chairs,_

 _And fought the shadows back_

 _Down your dark basement stairs._

 _I lit a match, then let it catch_

 _To light up the room,_

 _And then you yelled as we beheld_

 _An old maroon hot air balloon."_

They didn't see anyone else in town; how could they care? The two of them passed by Sans' checkpoint in Waterfall and kept strolling along. The water dripping from the rock ceiling became the rhythm Frisk measured himself by. Frisk would rarely pantomime the lyrics to the song for effect as they both danced under the falling mists:

" _I'll be out of my mind,_

 _And you'll be out of ideas pretty soon,_

 _So let's spend_

 _The afternoon in a cold hot air balloon._

 _Leave your jacket behind._

 _Lean out and touch the treetops over town._

 _I can't wait to kiss the ground_

 _Wherever we touch back down."_

Frisk jumped up and landed in a huge puddle that splashed both him and Asriel, and for a moment, they both froze and stared at each other; everything below their waists was now soaked. But, after another second, Frisk snorted. Asriel tried to keep her composure, but after Frisk broke out into hysterics, she couldn't resist either, and they both laughed until they started coughing. Then they looked at each other and laughed some more. Pretty soon, both their lungs needed a break, and they walked on in silence and just a few sparse giggles. It wasn't until they rounded a corner that Frisk saw a familiar assortment of umbrellas in a bucket. "Oh, Asriel! Did you ever get to see the view of your dad's castle from the cliffside here?"

Asriel paused a moment and her eyes rolled up. "Um, no," she replied. "I never really got to see Waterfall before...well, you know…"

"Oh." Frisk paused as well before he took Asriel's hand and led her forward, dropping the previous subject. "Well, c'mon! It looks _super_ cool!" Frisk pulled her along, which she mostly went along with, and he picked up a yellow umbrella, and they kept walking. The water came down even heavier than before, just like how it always did. Frisk and Asriel kept walking until, after rounding the bend, they walked across a steep cliff that overlooked the rest of the Underground, all the way up to Asgore's castle in the distance. Frisk stopped at around the midway point and stared off into the expanse of open air; Asriel did the same. He heard a small gasp from her, and smiled.

"Oh, wow…" she trailed off. "That's, um...a lot more impressive than I imagined."

Frisk smiled. "Kinda crazy, huh?" he said mostly to himself. "The Underground used to feel so big to me. Now it's just kinda-"

" _Asriel?"_

Frisk felt his heart stop beating, and he and Asriel whipped around to the right, to the far end of the cliff. Several Monsters were standing there, among them Papyrus, Sans, and Asgore. Papyrus looked confused, Sans had his hands in his pockets as usual, and Asgore looked like he'd read a forbidden eldritch book, if his thousand-yard stare and slack jaw were anything to go by. And in comparison, Asriel looked _beyond_ mortified. "Asriel, is that you…?" Asgore asked breathlessly.

Frisk didn't know how they'd found them; his best guess might have been they _had,_ in fact, been seen earlier, and someone had called to ask Asgore why a smaller version of him was running around outside. Either way, this was, for all intents and purposes, a tight spot. Frisk weighed his options. On the one hand, maybe this would force Asriel to get help, because God knew she wouldn't do it on her own, and Frisk had long ago resigned to the fact he couldn't convince her. But on the other…

He glanced from Asriel to the other three. Asriel's eyes were wide, terrified, and she had her hands over her mouth.

On the other hand, he felt like this was all his fault, and didn't want to disrespect Asriel's wish. Besides, he could find a cure on his own if he had to.

Frisk suddenly tossed the umbrella away, and it fell off the cliff. Everyone was now looking at him, and in the next instant, he shut his eyes until he could hear the sound of a sucking vacuum. When he opened them again, they were glowing a searing white, and the sound intensified to the point he could barely register that he was still standing up. The sound grew louder and the light intensified until…

Frisk blinked his eyes and felt something pinch in his back. He gritted his teeth and sat up on the flowerbed, looked around and sighed. He got up, despite the pain, and dusted himself off. As he walked toward the archway, he had the nagging feeling he'd seen Sans reaching out to him before he RESET. Frisk couldn't remember if he looked angry or desperate.

Well...it didn't matter now.

* * *

 **150**

If the sunlight and the marble could talk, what kinds of stories would they tell? Joyful stories? Sad stories? Something in between? Or could they not even be bothered to talk? Frisk wished he knew. It would give him something new to think about. He was drawn out of these thoughts, however, when he heard Asriel whisper, "Hey, Frisk…?"

He turned to look at her. They'd been standing around the flowerbed for the past few minutes, completely silent. "Frisk, would you...would you please go?" She sighed. "I think...ha ha...I think my time's almost up."

Frisk frowned and only paused a moment before he walked over and wrapped his arms around Asriel in a hug, and she returned it just as fast. Maybe the remnants of memories from other times helped her overcome her fears of physical contact, but he couldn't say for certain.

"...I don't want to let go."

"Please don't." Frisk whispered. His breathing was shaky _"Please don't..."_

Nothing could ever last down there, the good times and the bad. Frisk eventually tore himself away and walked over to the archway, but he kept looking over his shoulder. Just before he disappeared, he waved to Asriel, and she waved sorrowfully back. After another painful minute, Frisk walked away again, and left her behind. Another bust of a run. Frisk walked all the way back to Snowdin, slowly, as he allowed his thoughts to consume him. He eventually approached the Riverperson.

"Tra la la. Care for a ride?"

"...Yes."

"Where will we go today?"

"Hotland, please."

"Then we're off…"

Frisk got onbaord the boat, and the Riverperson steered them away. "Hum hum hum. Hum hum hum. I'm having a little concert," they said.

Frisk wasn't listening. He just thanked them when the boat came to a stop and hopped off and trudged through Hotland, then the CORE, and then back through Asgore's castle until he reached the antechamber. He passed by all his friends' smiling faces. Most of them were talking to each other anyway, about what was waiting for them on the surface. If Frisk was feeling particularly devious, he could easily spoil everything and tell them how the next three weeks would play out...but he didn't. Instead, he stopped in front of the archway to the cave entrance outside.

(If you leave here, your adventure will really be over. Your friends will follow you out of the underground.)

❤Don't leave. I'm ready.

Don't leave. ❤I'm ready.

He stepped beyond the threshold and was greeted with the blinding light of the setting sun as he stepped out onto the ledge overlooking the nearby city. And all at once he heard footsteps following him, and he saw his friends hurry out and surround him. Toriel started talking, but he wasn't listening, and he wasn't thinking of what came next for Monsters. There _had_ to be a way to make this work out. He just had to think of the possibilities, and run through them one by one until everything clicked into place.

* * *

 **304**

Frisk blinked a couple times as the burning twilight began to fade, and he saw before him, light. A dull, dusty light that stretched on for as far as he could see and pulsed at regular intervals. He shook his head. How long had it been? Weeks? Months? Years? In the end, it never mattered. Everything he tried was a failure. Playing events forward, backward, and out of order...nothing made a difference. The world only had one of two end states: either Monsters remained trapped in the Underground, or Monsters went free at the cost of Asriel's one shot at salvation. It didn't matter what events he orchestrated; the end of his adventure was always one of two damnable choices. It never changed, and it never would change. Just like how he could never find the surface if he killed Asgore, which he learned the hard way on his first few runs.

Flowey's laughter was still ringing in his ears, but soon enough, he realized that ringing wasn't going away. There was only one explanation.

 _*Ring, ring…*_

He reached down, picked up his phone, and checked the screen. There was one new message. He clicked the "playback" button.

"heya," came Sans' voice from the other line. "is anyone there…? well, just calling to ask. did you ever get something to eat...?" There was silence before he continued, "guess i'll just leave a message."

"things aren't looking too good. the two best fits for asgore's throne are dead and papyrus kept asking about where undyne went off to for vacation. i had to break the news to him sooner or later, and now he's scared and confused. i haven't seen alphys in awhile, either. mettaton said he didn't want to be king, and i got no idea why." A pause. "heh. is that your fault, too? well, hey, don't take this too personally. you might have condemned everyone to an eternity in the dark and been real rude about it, but at least you didn't kill anyone else…" Frisk's lips curled downward into a sour frown. _"...you monster."_

After that, the only other thing that could be heard in that void of timeless time was the sound of plastic and delicate circuitry shattering into a million pieces on the ground. Frisk continued stomping on the remains of his phone until it came as close to a fine silicon powder as he could make it.

* * *

 **387**

The grave had been eerily quiet the whole time Frisk and Asriel had been down there, and they'd been staring up at the hole where the Underground opened up for awhile before Frisk decided to open his mouth. "I dunno how much longer I can keep doing this," he muttered.

Asriel's head flicked to the right. They'd been lying on the sourgrass flowerbed for twenty minutes at least. Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Frisk pursed his lips, realizing he'd let his thoughts run away with him. "...Nothing, really. I meant, uh, living," he lied.

Asriel rolled her head all the way over so that she could look at him with both eyes. "I don't believe that," she said pointedly.

When he glanced over, Frisk found he couldn't look Asriel in the eye, and he quickly averted his gaze. At length, he muttered, "I don't know how many times I can keep playing this whole adventure over."

Asriel immediately propped herself up on her elbow and stared at Frisk for a few seconds before she whispered, "How many times?" Frisk didn't answer; he didn't even look at her. "How many times have you reset already, Frisk?"

There was silence for awhile. Then: "I lost count."

Asriel's eyebrows turned up in a worried frown. "You _lost count?"_

"Yeah," Frisk muttered. "I gave up trying to keep track some time ago."

"Frisk, you _know_ this isn't right," Asriel whispered harshly. "Is it about me? It _must_ be-"

"Oh, come on! You _know_ it is!" Frisk sat himself up and turned back to look Asriel dead in the eyes. "Haven't you ever once considered that, maybe, forcing yourself to be trapped down here because of all your self-pity might _not_ actually be a good idea?"

"Actually, yes!" she yelled back. "I _have_ thought of that! But considering there's no alternative, I don't have a choice!" She stood up and continued, "And it's not like you can lecture me about it when _you're_ keeping everyone down here yourself by trying to get me _out!"_

"Asriel...one, I don't care. Two, that's beside the point, and three…" he chided as he stood up too, _"three,_ there are _several_ alternatives! _You_ just don't want to go after them because you're _scared,_ and you _seem_ to think it's just gonna be a waste of time and tears, but it's _not!"_

"Frisk, please...you need to stop worrying about me! You have your entire life ahead of you, go and-"

"But _you_ don't!" Frisk screamed. **"My** life means **nothing** without you!"

His words echoed off the walls for a few minutes. Asriel's eyes remained wide enough for him to see the entire reflection of his face, but after awhile, she spoke again, quieter than before. "Frisk, I...I appreciate how strongly you feel about me. But even if I _wanted_ to go back, I'd just turn back into Flowey. I don't know how long it may take, a day, a month, a year, but it _will_ happen. And then I'd just break everyone's hearts all over again. There's..." She sighed and turned her head to quickly look back at Frisk. "There's nothing anyone can do."

" _Wrong."_

Frisk scrunched up his face and started to concentrate. He looked like he was on the verge of crying again, and Asriel stared at him intently, a mix of fear and morbid curiosity. "Frisk…?" He made no response, but concentrated harder. "Frisk…? What are you doing?" He still didn't answer for another few moments, but before Asriel could so much as reach out and touch him to see if he'd react, Frisk started screaming. Asriel flinched and jumped back, and Frisk continued to yell as he held up his left hand where red light centered and merged until all that was left, after another minute, was a small, red heart. Asriel's eyes widened and she looked back up in a panic. _"Frisk…!?"_

He didn't seem to hear her. Or care, really. Frisk was sweating a little, but he took a couple steps forward and held out his hand. Asriel took a step back, but he kept coming closer. "Asriel, please...take it."

"W-what…?"

" _Take_ it," Frisk repeated. "You can't get your own SOUL back, and I'm sick of going through the motions over and over again. Take my SOUL."

Asriel only glared at the small red heart like it was the most venomous snake on the whole planet. _"No!"_

"Asriel, _please...!"_ Frisk took another step forward and cupped his own SOUL with both his hands, holding it out as an offering. "I've thought about this, really, I did...and...and everyone misses you! Your mom, your dad, everyone who's still old enough to remember…"

" _No...!"_ Asriel backed up more but Frisk kept following her.

"Asriel, just _think_ of it! You can finally see the surface now! You'll be able to have your mom's butterscotch pie again, and you'll get to know everyone I used to! You won't have to live in fear or be alone anymore! It'll be-"

" _Stop…!"_ Before Frisk could react, Asriel took a step forward and shoved. He was too slow and too shocked to do anything else, and all at once, Asriel had pushed him away, and he grunted as he fell over and rolled backward. When he got his bearings a couple seconds later, he was still too shocked to do anything more than stare up dumbly at Asriel. And when he saw that her eyes were black and her frown had elongated to inhuman proportions, he started to wish he hadn't. "Go away!" she snarled. "I don't want your pity! I don't _need_ it! I _told_ you I'm not going back, but you just keep sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!" She paused just long enough for him to stand up and take only one step forward before she yelled, "Shut _up_ and get _lost,_ you lame-brained _idiot!"_

His blood froze in his veins and before long, Frisk fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands. There was a pause that was only broken by intermittent sobs and desperate choking. Still, even though he was distraught, Frisk could make out the sound of footsteps in the grass, coming toward him. "...Frisk?" he heard Asriel say. He scowled. After another moment spent drying his eyes and listening as she came closer, he stared up at Asriel, his eyes now pure white and glowing with ethereal fire. And when their eyes met, he remembered how bad regret felt.

Asriel was staring at him with a terrified expression and she barely got out the words, "Frisk, I'm s-" before the howling wind blocked out all other sound and the world faded to white as time burned away again. Frisk wanted to cry out as well, but knew that, by now, it was useless. No one could hear him, and no one would until he landed on that patch of sourgrass again. But as the wind stung his face, he couldn't help but think if this was all his fault somehow, simply because he couldn't let go. Simply because he didn't want to stop. Simply because his heart was too open, and bled whenever someone touched it.

At this revelation, he felt it sealing itself away, and a second later, he hit the ground.

He opened his eyes one last time to see the light shining down from the surface. Frisk sighed and blew loose hair out of his face before he sat up, trying to ignore the pain in his back.

* * *

A/N: Briefly got distracted by FNAF while writing this. I'm okay now.

Anyway, in this chapter, kids being adorable. And then no more being adorable. Next couple chapters, we reach the Good Shit™, and then the rabbit hole gets deeper from there...


	17. Unlocking

Unlocking

It had been awhile. Weeks. Maybe years from her point of view. The halls of what remained of the old Royal Laboratory were quiet...and dead. The only things that were down here were cloudy memories, and a few worse things. Right now, Flowey was more interested in those "worse things." She popped her head out from between the linoleum tiles in front of the elevator and shook her head. "Ow…" she muttered. It still hurt from Frisk smacking her with that pole, and Sans playing an angry lumberjack made it worse. "Stupid kid. Stupid _skeleton…"_ She kept grumbling as she looked around. Nothing seemed out of place, but she wasn't here to make sure housekeeping was doing their jobs...not like this place had ever really _seen_ housekeeping before. She was here for a reason. _Five_ reasons, actually.

"Okay," she sighed, "where are you idiots?" Flowey ducked back down into the ground and swam through the dirt and sediment below the foundations for a few seconds before she poked her head back out. The tiles were tough and it made her headache even worse, but the burning hatred she held for Frisk was stronger and lately, it was winning out when the going got tough. She popped her head out again to find herself in front of an elevator door and a vending machine, and when she got a good look at her surroundings, she grinned. A long, tendril-like vine poked through the tiles a bit before Flowey pushed harder and upended a small section of the floor with it. She glanced back at the vending machine and took aim but before she let loose, she forced herself to freeze and listen. It didn't _sound_ like anyone else was down here, besides the obvious; Flowey had been watching Alphys for the past couple days, and it was strange. She'd come and go and barely ever went into the basement anymore. Where she went, Flowey had no idea. She had several guesses, but could never find where Sans was at about that time; Alphys would just enter Waterfall and...disappear.

If Flowey had the capacity to shrug, she would have. "Whatever, let's just get started." Without waiting another second, the vine rushed forward and slammed into the vending machine. Its circuits broke, the casing crumpled, and entire bags of popato chisps went flying all around the room. Flowey ducked down to cover her face, and after the echo of the machine shattering died down, she looked back up at the destruction she had wrought and grinned. "Alright, Chara," she chuckled to herself as she picked up a bag of the snacks, "if you're not gonna play fair, neither will I!"

The vine wrapped around the bag and Flowey dragged it back underground before she disappeared, too. After swimming through the dirt again, she decided to pop up in the mass treatment area, with all the beds. Really, she could choose any room down here and the chances of finding a "patient" in it was fairly high. Today, however, Flowey was in luck; when she poked her head out of the floor again, she saw not one, but _two_ of Alphys' experiments mulling around. One was a giant flamingo-looking being made of several different Monsters, and one was made of _almost_ enough dogs. The Reaper Bird was busy...from what Flowey could guess, watching paint dry on the wall, and Endogeny was jumping on beds. All the beds, really. Flowey chuckled maliciously and whistled, which made Reaper Bird and Endogeny take notice of her fairly quickly, and once they did, Flowey punched a hole in the ground with one of her vines. Specifically, the vine holding the bag of chisps, which she unfurled to show to the Amalgamates. "Hey, tall, dark, and ugly...you two been fed yet...?"

In response, the Reaper Bird made a noise halfway between a gurgle and a several voices speaking at once and it stepped forward. Endogeny made a deep, booming bark and jumped off the bed they were currently ruffling up. "Hmm...guess that's a 'no.' You want the chi…" Flowey trailed off and took a look at the label on the bag. She scowled. "'Chisps…?' Huh? Do ya…?" She shook the bag, making its contents shake as well so that the two Amalgamates could hear it. They both vocalized and began to hobble over faster, but before they got too close, Flowey ducked back into the ground and moved a ways away, toward the left hallway, and came back out, still holding the chisps. "Still want them…?" she asked mockingly.

The two Amalgamates turned swiftly when she reappeared, vocalized again, and changed direction. Flowey grinned, and before the got too close, she disappeared below ground and reappeared a stone's throw away. _"Come and geeeeeet iiiiiiiiit~"_ she sang as she shook the bag. The two Amalgamates seemed to grow peeved that their food was being kept just out of reach, and Reaper Bird made some sort of garbled moan of annoyance as it lurched forward quickly, and Endogeny followed. Flowey was prepared. She ducked under the ground and kept moving away from the Amalgamates, but not far enough that they would lose sight and give up the chase. As she led them out, however, she could hear something else, like a holding tone on a phone. She couldn't help but grin maniacally to herself as she continued to lure the Amalgamates back toward the elevator.

* * *

Frisk bit his lower lip and then stuck his tongue out slightly beyond, lending his face a thoughtful look. He wasn't solving any puzzles though, save for the ones that truly mattered, like how he was going to get the best spin to skip stones.

After another moment, he pictured the angle he should throw the smooth stone in his hand, then wound up, then one, two, three strokes through the air with his arm, and on the fourth, he sent the rock in his hand sailing across the water. It skipped once and disappeared below the water's surface with a soft _*plop.*_

Frisk stared and then huffed in frustration before he grabbed a new stone to try again. It had been four days since the whole incident with Flowey, and since then, nothing exciting had decided to pop up. Frisk didn't know whether he should be glad or worried, but he leaned mostly toward worried. The sight of Flowey was a bad omen to be sure, but when she was _out_ of sight, he had no idea what she could be planning. And that was by and far the worst aspect of her personality; she might have only been a kid on the inside, but sometimes, kids could show an almost animalistic cunning.

Frisk took aim again and drew his arm back, one, two, three times, and let the next stone loose. It skimmed over the water once, twice, veered off to the left, and dipped below the waves. Frisk had come to Waterfall to do something more mentally stimulating than watch Mettaton's various programs on TV, and he quickly got distracted by the many pebbles shored up on the banks of the rivers and lakes. He wasn't sure _exactly_ where he was or how he got there, but he knew it was close to the area where the many rivers all converged and threw motes of light and dust into the air, and where he first found the ballerina's tutu. The place he was at was open, with a rock ceiling that reached up for a few dozen feet and disappeared over the horizon. Other than that, there was a landmass running parallel to the one he was standing on, just a few feet out from shore. But still, it was just him, the stones on the riverbank, and the dancing lights that lifted themselves from the surface of the water like tiny little angels.

However, as he reached down to pick up another stone, Frisk noticed something he hadn't seen before; someone was with him, standing just a few feet away. It was a humanoid Monster with a clam for a head. She was staring out over the water, and Frisk remembered passing her a few times during his later runs through the Underground; he'd only talked to her once, though. He finished picking up the stone he set his sights on and went back to practicing how best to flick his wrist to make the thing skim the lake's surface.

He didn't get much time alone with his thoughts before he heard the Monster speak up. "Oh dear, I didn't see you there! I hope you don't mind."

"Don't worry about it," Frisk replied nonchalantly as he skimmed the stone across the water. It bounced twice before it disappeared.

He reached down and threw a couple more stones before the clam girl said, "Did you know I'm visiting from the city?"

"Mmm...no." Frisk had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going. He picked up another stone and inspected it quickly to check which side would be the best to skip.

"I am," she continued, still gazing out over the water. "I actually have a neighbor who's about your age. Her name is Suzy. I think you two would get along well." Frisk didn't respond with more than a curt nod and affirmative grunt. "She's a good person, but…"

Frisk skipped the stone and watched it jump once, twice, then sink, then he sighed and picked up another one. Funny how he was having more fun skipping stones than anything else. He skipped that stone too, and only then became aware the clam girl hadn't finished her thought. Frisk quickly looked at her and asked, "Hey, miss are you o-"

His eyes grew wide and he froze up as a single bloodshot eye stared back at him from inside the clam shell on the girl's head. He didn't know if that alone was terrifying enough, or the fact that her entire body had gone greyscale; either way, she stared at him without blinking, and as the seconds turned to what felt like minutes, the urge to run kept building in Frisk's chest. Before he even knew what was happening, the world constricted and Frisk found himself in a FIGHT. Without thinking, he CHECKed his opponent.

"Pearloiner. ATK - *&?-#, DEF - \&()! .gninetsil s'ohw enoemos tuoba klat ot eduR"

"Sometimes, she can be vicious."

Almost as soon as the last word left her mouth, Frisk blinked, and then she was gone, the shackles of battle lifted. In the back of his head, he heard a familiar crescendo that always sounded out when he encountered Gaster in his little room in Waterfall. He shivered and was about to go back to skipping stones to try and get his mind off it before he heard heavy footfalls coming closer to him, thanks to the relative quiet of the caves. Frisk noticed a silhouette appear on the left, running across the land on the opposite side of the river. It came into view as none other than Papyrus, who probably wouldn't have noticed Frisk if he didn't call out, "Hey, Papyrus! Where are you going?"

Papyrus stopped, but the surprise made him stumble and hop forward on one foot before he regained his balance. "FRISK!" he cried. "I'M GLAD I FOUND YOU! UNDYNE CALLED ME AND SAID THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY IN NEW HOME! SHE WASN'T REALLY SPECIFIC, BUT IT THINK I HEARD THE SOUND OF COMMOTION AND SCREAMING ON HER END, SO IT MUST BE BIG, AND SOMETHING ONLY THE ROYAL GUARD CAN HANDLE!" He struck a valiant pose as the breeze flapped his scarf in the wind. "I COULDN'T FIND YOU WHEN SHE CALLED IN, SO I GUESSED YOU'D GONE AHEAD EARLIER THAN ME! BUT YOU'RE HERE! WHICH IS GOOD! NOW WE CAN JOURNEY BACK TO THE CAPITAL TOGETHER!"

Frisk bit his bottom lip. He couldn't imagine what the Royal Guard were dealing with, but Papyrus didn't make it sound pretty. He wasted no time in dropping the rock he was holding and he plunged headfirst into the river in front of him and swam to the other side. When he made it to the opposite riverbank, he broke the surface of the water and gasped for air as he pulled himself out. Papyrus helped after overcoming the initial surprise. "Let's...let's go," he coughed.

"ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T NEED TO REST?" Papyrus asked. "IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT QUICK DIP TOOK A LOT OUT OF YOU."

"No time," Frisk replied. He leaned his head over and smacked the other side to get the water out of his ear. "If Undyne called us in, we gotta move." Before he could stand up properly and start walking, Papyrus had picked him up and hoisted him on his back.

"THEN I SHALL CARRY YOU UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO WALK!" he declared as he raced off toward New Home.

* * *

The walk up to New Home was shorter than Frisk remembered, or expected. Either way, when they got out of MTT Resort, they were immediately greeted with chaos; Monsters were pushing past them, all terrified, and the Royal Guards were standing on the sidewalks, ushering them all away to safety. Frisk could only guess that whatever happened, it was even _worse_ than the time several Monsters got dusted earlier. And just like last time, he had the nagging feeling that Flowey had something to do with it.

Papyrus kept on exclaiming various expressions the both of them waded through the crowd. "EXCUSE US! WATCH OUT! OFFICIAL ROYAL GUARD BUSINESS! COMING THROUGH!"

Monsters ducked left and right as Papyrus and Frisk struggled against the crowd. Every time it wore thin, they both turned right back around and kept wading through them, considering they had no idea how else to find Undyne, and it only made sense she would be in the middle of all the action. The two of them wound around the overcrowded streets until finally, the presence of the Royal Guard increased and the amount of civilians decreased. They never asked for identification or anything, surprisingly; maybe Undyne had told them beforehand that Papyrus and Frisk might not be dressed for the part. Maybe they recognized the both of them. At this point, it didn't matter. The two of them kept power-walking up the street until they saw the familiar outline of Undyne's armor.

"UNDYNE!" Papyrus called out to her, and she turned her head to look at him and quickly walked up and led them down the street herself.

"Papyrus! Frisk! About time you showed up! We're gonna need all the help we can get!"

"ANYTHING TO HELP MY BEST FRIEND!" Papyrus exclaimed as he stepped forward heroically. "TELL US! WHAT NASTINESS MUST WE STAMP OUT TODAY?"

"Okay, so," Undyne explained, "it's a doozy. Bear with me. At, like, seven in the morning, I was about to sit down, practice my piano, and then write a letter for…" She stopped and coughed. "Uh, anyway, the point is, I was at home, then got a call that said some weird...things had turned up in New Home. Asked whoever called to describe it, they said the things were too weird to explain, so I got myself over and, _whoo…"_

Papyrus had been stroking his chin like a world-class detective and Frisk was staring at her quizzically. Undyne righted herself and quickly turned around and called, "Hey, guys, get out of the way, so they can see!" The guards at the intersection looked at each other, nodded, and quickly stepped aside. Beyond them was a hastily-constructed barricade of metal rails draped with a purple cloth, and beyond it was some...thing. It had been contained in the six-way intersection, with barricades set up at the other exits manned by other guards. In the middle of it all was said thing. It had about six legs, or maybe sixteen. It was hard to tell the way its amorphous body kept undulating, but the legs were bent in such a way that they made the outlines of dogs, and atop this creature was a head with two ears and a big, black hole where the rest of the face should be.

Frisk recognized it immediately.

Undyne shook her head and walked forward, Papyrus in tow. She leaned on the barricade railing and continued, "...They were right. These freaky mutant things started trashing the streets, so I called in backup...but we were only able to corner one. The rest…" She trailed off. "I don't know where the rest went," she sighed.

Papyrus stared at the strange thing for another minute before he said, "WELL, NOT TO WORRY! I'M CERTAIN IF WE ASK THE MONSTROUS CREATURE POLITELY, WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHERE ITS FRIENDS WENT!"

Undyne sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I wish it were that simple, Papyrus," she said as she looked back up the dog-creature.

"WHY? IS IT…" He trailed off and followed her gaze. "IS IT DANGEROUS?"

"Kind of," she replied. "It wasn't happy with us getting close, and just blockading it got several people injured. As long as we give it space, we should be able to-"

She was cut off as Frisk gripped the metal railing and deftly leaped over it.

" **Frisk…!"**

"FRISK…!?"

Papyrus and Undyne reached out, but were unable to catch any loose part of his clothing; he was too fast for them, and he ran out in the the plaza where Endogeny was. The Amalgamate noticed the form of the small child running toward it almost immediately, and wound around before settling into a stance that looked like it was ready to pounce at any second. Frisk came to an abrupt stop as the world constricted itself and he found himself in a fight. This time, however, Frisk was prepared.

He slowly reached behind his back; Endogeny growled at him, and he stopped moving for a second. The Amalgamate relaxed enough for Frisk to resume reaching and Endogeny looked about ready to run Frisk down before he pulled a surprise out of his inventory: a gnarled stick.

When Endogeny saw the stick, they immediately snapped to attention and then lowered their front half.

Looks like it wants to play.

"Stick?" Frisk asked playfully.

 **"WOOF**. **"**

Frisk grinned and shook the stick a little. "Oh, you see the stick? See the stick, buddy?"

 **"WOOF WOOF**. **"**

Endogeny seems excited.

"See the stick? See the stick?" Frisk waved the stick to his left. "Want stick?" He waved it to the right, and Endogeny's head tracked it. Frisk then pivoted and threw the stick, shouting, "Get stick!"

 **"BARK** **!** **"** Endogeny immediately bounded after the stick. Unfortunately, Frisk didn't calculate which way Endogeny was going and how fast they would run after it, which resulted in him getting bowled over. He yelped as Endogeny shoved him down while the Amalgamate itself ran all the way to the buildings that encircled the intersection, and they pushed off the ground and rebounded off the building and into the air. Endogeny caught the stick in its "mouth," and landed squarely on its feet before trotting back over to Frisk.

The Royal Guards who had Endogeny surrounded were now leaning over the metal gates in anticipation and awe, Undyne and Papyrus certainly not the least among them (Papyrus' jaw looked about ready for a hot date with the ground). Endogeny walked up to Frisk, who had started to recover from being flattened by what could only be three hundred pounds of pure dog, and dropped the stick in front of him. Frisk looked up, as he had fallen on his face, and looked up at the panting, excited dog-monster; he smiled and rose to his feet as quickly as he could, picked up the stick, and wiggled it in his hand a bit. Endogeny jumped back and forth in excitement and barked again. Frisk smiled and threw the stick again, and made sure that this time he wasn't going to be in Endogeny's way. "Go get it!"

Endogeny bounded off and caught the stick in their mouth, and then came right back to Frisk. By now, the stick was covered in too much mutant dog saliva to be useful anymore, but when Frisk looked back up at them, Endogeny barked happily one more time. Frisk grinned and stretched up to scratch behind their ears, and Endogeny bent down to allow him to do so. "...Good boy."

Endogeny is pacified.

Frisk kept smiling up at the Amalgamate for another minute before he glanced back over at Undyne and Papyrus. The both of them were leaning over the railing, and Papyrus' eyes were completely bugged out and his jaw was open while Undyne's eye was twitching and she had held onto the barricade so tightly that the metal was now dented. After the awkward silence, Papyrus was the first to vault over the wall and race up to Frisk and Endogeny, and he immediately scooped Frisk up into a hug. "FRISK! YOU DID IT! YOU BEAT THE BIG, SCARY-LOOKING BLOB OF DOGS!"

Endogeny tilted their head quizzically and whimpered. "...That's 'Endogeny,'" Frisk corrected.

"YOU BEAT THE SCARY-LOOKING ENDOGENY!" Papyrus cried again.

Frisk sighed and shook his head, still wearing a tired smile. Undyne ran up behind the both of them not even a couple seconds later and ensnared the both of them in a bear hug of her own with an accompanying "NGAAAHHHHHHHH!" before she set them both back down. "While I'm incredibly stoked you're okay and you made the dog-thing…"

"ENDOGENY." Papyrus interrupted.

" _...Endogeny_ friendly," Undyne continued after looking over at Papyrus, "don't do something reckless without giving me an advanced warning, Frisk!" She grinned down at him and added, "I wanna _know_ what kind of crazy stunt you're gonna pull so I can **appreciate** it as it happens!"

"Yes, captain," Frisk said with a casual salute.

Undyne kept grinning down at him for another second before she looked up at the hulking Amalgamate that was currently dripping saliva from its face, but otherwise standing at attention. "That being said...now we gotta find and round up all the other ones like it."

"NYEH-HEH-HEH! CERTAINLY NOT A PROBLEM WE CANNOT OVERCOME!," Papyrus commented. "WE CAN JUST ASK ENDOGENY!" He pivoted to face the Amalgamate, cleared hi throat, and eloquated, "EXCUSE ME, ENDOGENY! WE ARE LOOKING FOR THINGS THAT LOOK MUCH LIKE YOURSELF! HAVE YOU SEEN THEM? DO YOU KNOW WHERE THEY WENT?"

Endogeny tilted their head to the side again, which prompted Undyne to say, "I, uh...don't think they know."

After another moment of thinking, Frisk said, "Well, if I had to guess, the Amalgamates are probably trying to find their families again, so our best bet is to find their relatives and pacify them that way."

Undyne glanced down at Frisk and quirked an eyebrow. "Why the **heck** would they be doing that?"

"Because…" Frisk stopped short as the reality sunk in and his eyes widened. The Amalgamates were loose. The only way they could have gotten out was either by one of the two elevators in the True Lab. How they got out wasn't important at the minute because there was one person who was going to notice sooner rather than later. The next thing that left his lips was a breathless, quiet, "Oh, crap…"

"FRISK, ARE YOU OKAY?"

He abruptly looked up, from Papyrus to Undyne, and then he quickly looked back at Endogeny, who was still towering over him and dripping saliva on the ground. "En...Endogeny, where's, um...where's the doctor?"

Undyne blinked once. "Doctor…?"

Endogeny titled their head to the other side. **" … ? "**

"Doctor Alphys, boy! Where's doctor Alphys?" Endogeny perked up at once and barked happily, which in turn, made Frisk's eyes go wide again. "You know where she is?"

 **"** **A** **RF, ARF!"** Endogeny barked. They jumped up and started to bounce around, but before Frisk could continue Undyne grabbed his shoulder and turned him to look her in the eye.

"What happened to Alphys?" Her face, for the first time in recent memory, looked worried.

"Uh...nothing yet," Frisk replied, making sure to chose his words carefully, "but we better find her quick. She's the only one who might know why the things like Endogeny are running free."

Undyne's grip slackened for a moment, but her usual steely-faced expression returned just as quickly and before anyone could speak up, she ran forward and jumped up onto Endogeny's back. The Amalgamate, surprisingly, didn't try to shake her off. "Listen up, people!" she called to every guard in the vicinity. "Spread out, look for those weird blobby Monster creatures! Keep civilians off the streets if you have to, but move and move fast! **Go!"**

The guards did as ordered and began to file away from the blockades they had erected, and Undyne cast her gaze down on Frisk and Papyrus. "As for you two…" She reached down and picked up Frisk and Papyrus by the scruff of their necks, one after the other, and threw them behind her on Endogeny's back so they were all riding together. **"We're** going to find ourselves a missing science-lizard!"

Frisk and Papyrus stared at each other for a moment before Papyrus' smile came back in full and Frisk smiled, too. He leaned forward and whistled to get Endogeny's attention, and their ears perked up. "Alphys, boy, find Alphys!"

Endogeny barked loudly and took off back the way Undyne had first led them. Not even a few yards down the street, the top of the CORE was already in view.

* * *

"Are they lost?" Undyne asked as she looked down on Endogeny's head as they shuffled around in the same spot, looking at all the neon blue walls. The CORE had shifted around again, into a completely different layout that Frisk didn't recognize, and they were currently stuck on a walkway with a long wall on one side and a sheer vertical drop into oblivion on the other.

"Probably," Frisk replied. "The Amalgamates aren't familiar with anyplace in the Underground besides the Lab." He'd filled Undyne and Papyrus in on what had happened in the True Lab and where the Amalgamates came from...of course, he'd said nothing about the experiment that created Flowey.

" **NGAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"** Frisk and Papyrus covered their ears, and Endogeny bent down and covered their head with their front legs as well as Undyne roared, **"We're getting nowhere fast! Isn't there anyone in here who can point us in the right direction!?"**

When Undyne finished her statement, Endogeny suddenly perked up and began barking at...something. Frisk was the first to speak up. "Woah, what is it? What is it, boy?"

 **"BARK BARK** **!** **"** Endogeny bent forward slightly and the three riders tried to avoid falling forward and off them completely.

"Frisk, what the **heck** are they doing?" Undyne cried.

"No…"

Before Frisk could finish his thought, a strange, white liquid began to seep through the floor ahead, from a crack that marked where the room would divide and shift when it was ordered to change. From inside, the liquid seeped up and began to coagulate into three separate forms that looked like three different heads with a dozen different faces on each. Everyone stared in shock, but Frisk was mostly surprised to see them here, of all places.

"...Idea."

Memoryhead drew near!

Frisk didn't know how an encounter with multiple people would play out, but all he knew was that his turn was first and he did the first thing that came to mind: pull out his cell phone and hit the "dial" button. Several different voices immediately came through the receiver.

"Come join the fun."

"Lorem ipsum docet."

"It's a real get-together."

"...No thanks," Frisk replied politely.

Memoryhead's turn passed with only a dejected, "Well, that's a shame," from all three of them.

Memoryhead is pacified.

And just like that, the battle was over; even Frisk was surprised, and he was certain the Memoryheads would have at least tried to attack. The only one who had the audacity to talk next was Papyrus, because both Frisk and Undyne were at a loss for words and Endogeny couldn't talk. "EXCUSE ME, HEAD-AMALGAMATES?" he called down to them. The Memoryheads didn't say anything, but they did seem to at least acknowledge his presence. "DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS, WE ARE SOMEWHAT LOST. IF I WERE A BIT MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE CORE, WE WOULD CERTAINLY BE OUT BY NOW, BUT UNFORTUNATELY! I AM NOT. COULD YOU PLEASE HELP US?"

The three Amalgamates glanced at each other and seemed to be considering their options. Maybe. Frisk couldn't claim to know what was going through their heads; no one could. But after a minute, three voices came through his cell phone's receiver:

"Follow us."

"It's just around the bend."

"We will fly away."

Undyne, Papyrus, and Frisk all shot each other surprised glances and then looked down on the Memoryheads, who remained stationary for one more moment before their features softened out and they began to roll away, one after the other, down the rest of the catwalk. Maybe Papyrus' plea moved them, and indeed, that was the most likely candidate (he had that air about him, after all), or maybe they knew that some strangers who already had one Amalgamate on their side could be trusted. Either way, Undyne patted Endogeny's head and said, "Alright, pal, up and at'em!"

Endogeny barked again, stood up, and followed the Memoryheads as closely as they could.

* * *

The ride through MTT Resort was anything but smooth, especially after they found their way out of the CORE and Memoryhead decided to hitch a ride with them. Frisk was weirded out considering he was between them and Papyrus.; at least he was familiar with them As soon as Endogeny, Undyne, Papyrus, Frisk, and Memoryhead barged into the resort, the chaos inside worsened. There were pamphlets strewn about on the floor, Monsters were trampling each other trying to get into the large restaurant, and the massive safety violation that was the center fountain was only compounding problems, as said Monsters were slipping on the wet floor every few seconds.

Undyne surveyed the damage and glanced at the Monster crouched down behind the front desk and demanded, "What the **hell** is going on in here!? You're running around like Mettaton refused to sign an autograph! Which he never would! So what happened?"

The Monster behind the counter, a humanoid with ocean blue skin and an entire hand for a head, slowly rose up, but not enough to expose her upper body. "S-sorry, Captain Undyne," she stammered, "but between the things in the CORE and the h-horrid...horrid bird outside, everyone's been trying to hide somewhere."

Undyne paused and looked back at Memoryhead, still sitting quietly behind Frisk. "You mean like that thing?" she asked as she pointed her thumb at them.

The clerk looked back, yelped, and went back to cowering behind the desk. "Y-y-yes…"

Undyne paused and then grinned down on her. "Ah, don't sweat it! They're all just as scared as you are, and we're gonna sort this mess out!" she declared. Before the clerk could reply, Undyne shouted, "Onward, mighty steed!" and Endogeny took off toward the door, not bothering to even slow down. As it was, Endogeny ran right into it and blew out the glass panes and threw the doors off their hinges, and the group found themselves outside in the blistering heat.

Papyrus glanced around after he brought his arms down from shielding his face. "WELL…!" he declared, "THAT! IS ONE WAY TO MAKE A DYNAMIC ENTRANCE! OR EXIT, DEPENDING ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE."

"Fuhuhuhuhu! Nevermind the 'entrance' or 'exit' part! With me, it's always just **dynamic!"** Undyne boasted. Endogeny barked in agreement and Undyne glanced down at them. "Alright, pal, you know what we're looking for! Keep leading!"

 **"ARF ARF** **!** **"**

"Hold on," Frisk interrupted. The other four turned to him expectantly, and he continued, "What about the-"

Frisk was interrupted as a tall, lanky Amalgamate crashed down in front of the group. Even Endogeny reared back in alarm, and the bird-like creature slowly rose up to full height to face them.

"...Bird monster…" Frisk finished.

Reaper Bird attacks!

Frisk jumped off Endogeny's back. All things considered, he was the best at getting the Amalgamates to back down, so that choice was a no-brainer. He glanced back up at the other three and said, "Find Alphys! I'll catch up."

Undyne looked from him to Reaper Bird in shock, as did Papyrus before he decided to call, "ARE YOU SURE, FRISK?"

Frisk only winked back. "I'll be okay."

Undyne looked back at Papyrus, and Memoryhead, and then forward again. Her gaze hardened and she pointed forward. **"Go…!"**

Endogeny obeyed without hesitation, and they bounded off, over the edge of the plateau MTT Resort stood on, and Frisk could see them land on pillars of rock that stuck out of the lava before he focused entirely on Reaper Bird.

In response, the Amalgamate shuddered as if not fully in control of its own actions, and a strange figure appeared in front of it. After another minute, the figure's head was swarmed by butterflies that appeared from seemingly nowhere. Frisk craned his neck to crack it, and then knelt down and clasped his hands together.

You kneel and pray for safety. One of them remembers its conscience.

In the next instant, the strange figure appeared in front of Reaper Bird again, still being swarmed, and began to walk forward. One of the butterflies came off and hurtled toward Frisk, who leapt to his feet and pushed himself backward. A couple more butterflies came off; Frisk had a little less time to react as the figure walked closer, but he managed to duck under them. More butterflies came off, now in staggered timing. Frisk jumped back again, ducked, jumped up, got nicked, and fought through the pain before Reaper Bird's turn ended. Then he sighed and brought up his left hand, its back facing Reaper Bird, and grabbed his thumb. He then covered his opposite thumb with his fingers quickly so that Reaper Bird wouldn't see, and then appeared to pull his left thumb off.

You do something mysterious. One of them recognizes it has more to learn from this world.

The strange figure appeared again, but quickly regenerated the head it lost previously. Instead of keeping it on its shoulders, however, it threw the head at Frisk, who jumped over it. The monster regrew another head and threw it a well, then another, and another, with increasing speed. Frisk ducked under it, wove to the left, then ducked again and jumped over the last one, and finally, he glared Reaper Bird dead in the eye and stuck his tongue out rudely.

You picked on one of them. Reaper Bird seems to remember something.

"That takes guts."

"(Thoughtful croak)"

"Don't give up!"

Reaper Bird is pacified.

Reaper Bird bent down, as if to bow, and Frisk smiled. He walked up to them without fear and gently placed his hand on the side of their face. "You'll be okay." Reaper Bird closed their eyes and nodded slightly, and Frisk took his hand off before he walked over to the edge of the plateau, and looked out over Hotland. He couldn't see where Undyne and the others were, but he knew where they were going and had to make up for lost time. He sighed and stood up to his full height. "Man...this walk is gonna kill me…" He was about to crack his neck again before he heard the distinctive flapping of wings and saw Reaper Bird flutter over the edge, positioning themself so that Frisk could easily step down on their back. He paused to take in such a strange sight before their message slowly dawned on him. He blinked a couple times in confusion and asked, "...Are you sure you can even carry me?"

Reaper Bird nodded once, and Frisk looked them up and down. Then, slowly, carefully, he lowered himself over the edge and half-sat, half-clung to Reaper Bird's back. Reaper Bird was right, though; they didn't seem to suffer anything worse than momentary displacement from adjusting to Frisk's weight, and when he realized this, he smiled. "Thanks," he said. Frisk then looked up and across Hotland before he pointed and cried, "Quick! To Waterfall!"

"(Affirmative croak)"

"Take heart..."

"Whatever you say."

Reaper Bird flapped its wings a few times and flew off.

* * *

Unlike the rest of the Underground, Waterfall was nice and quiet. "...Which means something's wrong," Undyne said.

Endogeny had run all throughout Hotland, even skipping over a few puzzles (to Papyrus' disappointment) and was busy tearing through the overgrown grasses and shallow puddles of Waterfall. Endogeny slowed down at a four-way intersection, huffed, and began to sniff the air. Undyne took the momentary lull to call out, "Alphys…!" Her only response was her hollow echo, bouncing off the walls. "Alphys!" she called again. Still no answer, and she sighed and hung her head.

Papyrus was quick to notice and step in. "CHEER UP, UNDYNE! ALPHYS HAS TO BE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE! IT'S NOT LIKE SHE WOULD JUST RUN AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!"

Undyne looked back at Papyrus' smiling face (Memoryhead had no input) with a look of resignation. "Yeah, but if what Frisk told us is true, then she's been hiding the Amalgamates for longer than anyone could guess," she replied. "I imagine keeping a secret _that_ big's gonna start wearing on your conscience sooner than later."

Papyrus fell silent for another moment before he replied, "THAT MAY BE SO, BUT! ALPHYS IS STILL A GOOD PERSON! I KNOW SHE WON'T LET SOMETHING LIKE THIS WEIGH HER DOWN!"

Before Undyne could reply properly, Endogeny started barking and raced off down the left corridor of the intersection. As the three of them raced off and held on, Undyne bent forward to reduce the air resistance and called back, "I sure hope you're right, Papyrus!"

The rocky cavern opened up to a vertical cliff on the left side, glinting with mist that settled on its surface from several waterfalls above. Far below, they could see rivers and streams criss-crossing each other as motes of light rose up from the water and faded away. Endogeny kept running for a few minutes with seemingly no fear of slipping and falling off the edge, and they entered another cave on the other side. It started out narrow but eventually expanded to fit three Monsters standing side-by-side. There was a fork in the road with two different paths, one straight and one that led to the left, that Endogeny stopped at for a moment as they sniffed the ground before they jumped and barked before taking off to the left. "We must be getting close!" Undyne called.

"FANTASTIC!" Papyrus replied, "BECAUSE I AM STARTING TO WISH I HAD A SICKNESS BAG!"

The cavern wove around a bit, and Endogeny would take each turn more severely than they had any need to, rebounding off the walls like an energetic child, until there was a straight shot to an opening behind a massive waterfall at least fifty stories high. The dull light from the outside was shining through the veil of water, refracting and making patterns of bluish-white lines dance along the rock walls; but in the center of the opening was a solitary figure, partially hunched over and staring out across the landscape. Still, enough of her outline was lit up well enough that anyone would know who it was, and when they got close enough, Undyne called her name.

" **Alphys!"**

She obviously hadn't been expecting anyone to find her, if the panicked and utterly horrified expression on her face when she turned around was anything to go by. It got worse when she saw what Undyne was riding on and what was riding with her (i.e., not Papyrus), and her eyes darted between the four of them for a few moments as she backed up; of course there was no solid ground for her to back up onto, and a split-second, Alphys began to fall backward.

Before Endogeny could even begin to stop, however, Undyne stood up and launched herself off their back, somersaulted through the air, and landed directly in front of Alphys and was able to snag the front of her lab coat before she fell backward completely. Continuing off of that momentum, she swung Alphys around and away from the edge of the cliff and then quickly knelt down in front of her and held on to her shoulders. Alphys was in shock for a few seconds, but when it wore off, she found she couldn't look Undyne in the eyes. She was partially justified, of course; anyone else would have been angry, knowing that one of their friends performed horrid experiments in secret, but there was clear worry written on Undyne's face instead. "Alphys, are you okay?"

There was nothing except the sound of Endogeny slowing to a halt and Papyrus subsequently jumping off and staggering around to get his bearings back. Then, a timid, "Y-you...you should've let me fall."

Undyne's face contorted to shock for a moment before she gripped Alphys' shoulders tighter and replied, "Oh, I don't think so."

Alphys opened her mouth as if to argue something, but she must have decided against it, and after glancing at Endogeny and Memoryhead still sitting quietly on top of them, she asked, "How...h-how did y-y-you...find out?"

"Frisk told us," Undyne answered patiently.

"...H-How much…?"

"Everything."

Another heavy silence took root in the cavern. Then, Alphys lowered her head into her hands and only seconds later, fresh tears began leaking out between her fingers. "I...I can't…" she sobbed, "I...c-can't show my...m-my face to...to _anyone_ ev... _ever_ again! I've..." She abruptly trailed off into more choked sobs; Undyne relaxed her grip but still kept one comforting hand on her shoulder as she cried. Alphys eventually picked her head back up, but she was almost constantly wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yes, you can," Undyne told her. "You might have **conducted** those experiments, but what happened to those Monster that fell down **wasn't. Your. Fault.** Seriously, how could you have known they'd all start fusing together into…" She trailed off and glanced back at Endogeny, Memoryhead, and Papyrus, who was sitting quietly on a small rock to the right. "Y'know, 'Amalgamates?' How could **anyone** have known that was gonna happen?"

"B-But I could've...I _had_ to tell _s-some-someone_ about what...happened to them! I had to...should've called their f-f-families! I should've t-told Asgore about it! A-And I...and I _didn't!"_ Alphys quickly deteriorated into violent sobbing again for another minute, though Undyne quickly pulled her into a hug. Eventually, Alphys stammered, "Th-The only...only th-thing I'm good at...is...is...r-rot-rotting at the b-b-bottom of a p-pile...pile of _trash."_

Undyne relaxed her grip and stared Alphys dead in the eye and asked, "Alphys, what's it gonna take for you to realize this isn't your fault?"

In response, Alphys' shoulders sagged and she looked down at the ground. Her expression got even more depressed, which, at this point, was really saying something. "P...p-probably no less th-than a...than a miracle…" she muttered.

Undyne didn't respond to that for awhile. She looked off to the side, sporting a rather unsure expression for once. Eventually, she turned back to Alphys and gazed into her eyes and she smiled...right before pulling her forward into a kiss. Alphys, as to be expected, went through several stages of shock within the span of two seconds, but Undyne kept her lips locked on hers for _well_ beyond that time. When she did break the kiss, she kept her hands on Alphys shoulders and kept eye contact, along with a gentle smile. "Listen to me, Alphys. I've known you for _years,_ and the Alphys I know is tenacious, gentle, and _way_ smarter than I'll ever be. The Alphys _I_ know...is a beautiful, beautiful thing." She trailed off, still gazing into Alphys' eyes, and for a moment, there was peace. Alphys, however, had gone near fully rigid and was staring back at Undyne wide-eyed. Her glasses made her eyes look much too large for her head, and Undyne seemed to remember herself, cleared her throat, and casually asked, "But anyway, uh, how's **that** for a miracle?"

Alphys didn't reply for a couple minutes (obviously). She started to come out of shock after a moment, a red blush building up on her face and an incredibly nervous stutter to go along with it. "H-how...how did you know I…" Alphys swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, with immense difficulty, before she continued, "...That I...that...how'd you know I _l-l-l-liked_ you…?"

Undyne blinked once and then grinned sheepishly and looked away. "Actually, I had no idea, but I liked you, and was, y'know, kind of hoping that, um...that you felt the same way."

The tears were forming. Maybe from relief. Maybe joy. Maybe they were still sad. Maybe all three, but Alphys covered her mouth with a hand and turned away before she made a noise that was halfway between a guffaw and a choked sob. Needless to say, it sounded a little more than worrying, and Undyne bit her lip before she asked, "Alphys, are you...um, you okay…?"

Alphys jerked back to look up at her and slowly, the small smile she had dropped. "Um...y-yeah," she muttered. "I just...y'know…" She sighed and looked Undyne in the eyes, something that she found was harder to do than expected. Undyne's kiss had _really_ scrambled some brainwaves. "It's like, uh...I mean, it's _not_ that I...that I _don't_ love you too, but…" Her breathing and voice got shaky again, and before Undyne could interrupt, Alphys had all but flung herself into Undyne's arms, and of course, she wasn't about to object to that. Undyne wrapped her arms around Alphys' neck; Alphys herself was already starting to sniffle again. "B-but...even if _you_ don't mind...who's...who's to s-say what everyone _else_...w-will think…?"

"Hey…" Undyne leaned back to look Alphys in the eyes again and kept smiling to comfort her. "Hey. Don't worry about it, Alphys." Undyne bent down to her eye level, leaned in close, and held up her right fist in a confident gesture. "Even if the world turns its back on you, I **won't."**

Those few words were enough to get Alphys to actually smile, for real, for the first time that day. Suddenly Undyne stood up to her full height and threw her head back and laughed, "And then I'll **suplex** **the world** to show it just how freakin' **stupid** it is for leaving you behind! **Fuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu…!"**

* * *

You flexed your arm. Lemon Bread seems to remember something.

Frisk looked back up at Lemon Bread. Their gaping maw closed slowly, and their eyes softened. He smiled up at them.

Lemon Bread is pacified.

Frisk put his hands on his hips triumphantly and turned around to look at the rock that Shyren was hiding behind. "You can come out now," he called. "They don't want to hurt anyone."

Shyren blinked a couple times, then slowly and cautiously swam out from behind the rock. Lemon Bread's sudden appearance at her usual practice spot frightened her horribly, but thankfully, Frisk had been nearby. Still, having Reaper Bird appear too was also somewhat disconcerting, but they stayed out of the fight, and Frisk handled it like a champion. When Shyren got close, she paused in front of the Amalgamate, stared into their eyes...and then hummed a little tune. Lemon Bread tilted their head and hummed back. Shyren continued the melody, and Lemon Bread added on, and soon, they had completed their own little duet. Shyren looked back at Frisk and whispered in a melodic voice, "Oh, thank you, friend! If you hadn't been here, I don't know what I would have done!"

Frisk grinned at her and leaned back casually. "Don't mention it." He turned and let Shyren and her sister-slash-extended family talk and walked back over to Reaper Bird, who instinctively lowered themselves to allow him to hop on their back. "Alright, that's four out of five, and I think I know where we have to go next. To Snowdin, quick!"

Frisk gestured forward with his left arm, and Reaper Bird lifted itself off the ground and took to the air. With one last glance back to make sure he had left no stone unturned, Frisk was off and flying through the humid air; he was just thankful it wasn't humid heat. They couldn't fly too high due to the pitch blackness and relative low height of the rock ceiling, but Reaper Bird was surprisingly maneuverable, doding outcroppings and weaving through tight turns with ease. Soon, they exited the mouth of a giant cave, out into a wide open space. Frisk felt the temperature drop, and below them was white and the tops of fir trees. Frisk looked out, and off in the distance, could see the lights and outlines of Snowdin Town. He pointed at it and cried, "There!"

"Quickly!"

"Yeah, I'm moving!"

"(Croak)"

Reaper Bird changed direction and sailed over the rest of Snowdin, and the lights in the village square began to get brighter and brighter and closer and closer until Reaper Bird dipped suddenly and skidded to a halt on the main road through town, kicking up snow everywhere. Frisk held on for dear life the entire time, until Reaper Bird finally stopped moving, and Frisk quickly jumped off. From a distance, it looked like nothing was wrong; all the lights were on, after all, but now that he was here, Frisk saw that there was _nobody_ outside. The place looked like a ghost town, and the reason quickly became apparent.

Frisk looked from Grillby's bar to the gift tree when he thought he saw movement through the needles and lights, and he slowly walked around it. Emerging from the other side a dozen feet away was the form of a snowdrake, though not the same one Frisk had seen in Snowdin Forest. It looked like it was constantly melting like ice and re-solidifying immediately. Frisk didn't even need to hesitate before he walked up to the Amalgamate; from what he could tell, it looked like they were trying to get into one of the houses by repeatedly slamming on the door. They eventually noticed Frisk moving in their peripheral vision as they turned around to face him, and only spoke one word before the battle started. "Sn...o...wy…?"

Frisk wasted no time. "Apparently, I've got to _snow_ you the ropes," he said.

Snowdrake's mother paused a moment before they drawled, "Sn...o...wy…" Frisk waited a moment and looked up to see two spinning ice blades above him. They must have been there for a couple seconds at the longest, and not long after he noticed, they disappeared. He sighed and shook his head. "These attacks are _snow-_ brainers."

Snowdrake's mother paused again and then croaked out, "Haha...I...remem...ber…" Frisk straightened up and smiled at them. It faltered slightly when he noticed a spinning blade of ice to his far left and he jumped back when it registered, but he knew he was in no real danger. Snowdrake's mother had suffered the worst out of all the Amalgamates; why that was, he had no idea.

"I guess you could say that attack was... _snow_ dice," he said as he made double finger-guns as Snowdrake's mother. Despite how much he liked puns, the snow jokes felt cheap. And dirty.

Still, it did the job. "Haha...thank...you…" they chuckled.

Snowdrake's mother is pacified.

Frisk smiled warmly, and shuffled closer a bit more cautiously than normal, but that was only because the circumstances were different. But slowly, he reached out and put his arms around Snowdrake's mother. It was nothing he hadn't experienced already; a little soft and "goopy" for lack of a better term, but almost as soon as he hugged them, she hugged him back, and Frisk knew he was in no danger. "Ah-ha...such a...nice...you...ng boy…"

He couldn't help but smile again before he broke off from her, but the silence only lasted a few seconds before Frisk heard the telltale creak of an opening door; with the dead silence in town, it was easy to pick out, and he looked around to see Grillby's door open, with the fire man himself and a dozen patrons poking their heads out. All of them looked worried, and Frisk couldn't blame them.

Then, one by one, other doors around town began to open, with Monsters first poking their heads out and then slowly leaving the safety of their homes. In time, however, it became obvious that the threat was gone, and they all began to crowd around Frisk. It was unclear who started clapping first, but pretty soon the whole square went up in uproarious applause, and Frisk found himself giggling in embarrassment. After all, this was a hero's congratulations...certainly not something fit for him. "Hey…" he said meekly. Frisk brought up his left and and began waving from the wrist, "Thanks...hi, everyone…"

Thankfully, the praise didn't last long, because, Frisk heard a familiar voice scream, "Outta the way! **Outta the way, punks! There are no brakes on the canine train…!"** This was met with surprised cries as the crowd parted, and in from Waterfall rode Undyne, Papyrus, Alphys, and Memoryhead atop Endogeny, and Reaper Bird quickly flew over and joined them. To say Frisk was ecstatic was an understatement, and he ran over immediately before the crowd could consolidate. Endogeny was the first to pick up on him and react, as they jumped around excitedly until Frisk was close enough to pet their head. "Good boy," he said, "good dog. Best friend."

His attentions were quickly diverted when Endogeny's passengers all jumped off (or oozed off, in Memoryhead's case), and Frisk immediately ran up to Alphys and caught her in a hug. She exhaled sharply and almost fell over, if Papyrus hadn't been behind her for support, but after a moment, she laughed nervously and put her arms around Frisk, too. "You okay, Alphys…?"

When he pulled back, he saw her eyes were misty. "No, but…" She dried her eyes and looked up. There was a look of triumph slowly creeping across her face. "But I'm getting better."

Frisk flashed a wide smile and exclaimed, "Awesome! It's only gonna get better from here! I know it!"

A smile slowly crossed Alphys' face...that got much brighter when Undyne came around and slung her arm around her shoulder and grinned down on her. In the next instant, Papyrus ran around the two of them and scooped Frisk up in another hug. "NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH! YOU DID IT FRISK! YOU STOPPED ALL THE WEIRD AMALGAMATES! AND I HELPED YOU GET TO WHERE YOU NEEDED TO GO! I _KNEW_ YOU COULD DO IT!"

Frisk couldn't help but giggle as he got picked up off the ground and replied, "Well, c'mon, Papyrus! If you think about how they got out..."

Papyrus abruptly stopped swinging Frisk around and looked him dead in the eyes. "...NO."

"And considering their origins, I guess you could say…"

"DON'T YOU DARE."

Frisk's grin reached near Flowey-levels of sadistic glee as he finished, "There's no such thing as _lab_ publicity!"

Papyrus froze in place, and for a moment, Frisk wondered if he'd stopped breathing. Then, Papyrus abruptly dropped him to the ground, his eyes bugged out, and he screamed, "OH MY GOD…!"

Frisk lost it. "BETWEEN YOU AND SANS, I CAN'T GET A MOMENT'S PEACE!" he yelled again.

"you rang?"

Everyone stopped and turned around to see Sans wander in from the direction of the librarby. He walked up to the group and looked them all up and down before he shrugged. "got a real rogue's gallery going here, i see."

Undyne spoke up before anyone else could. "Where were _you_ when we needed help?"

In response, Sans stretched and rubbed his eyes. "sleepin'. what did I miss?" he asked. Frisk however, saw him shoot an aside wink at him. Whatever he had been doing, Frisk immediately knew it had more to do with the Shrouding Gate than he was letting on.

"...Really, Sans?" Undyne's shoulders sagged and her gills along with them.

"sorry. mid-afternoon break waits for no man or monster," he replied with a shrug.

Undyne was about to chime in with some choice words before a new arrival made his presence known. "Undyne! Miss Undyne!" Everyone looked down the road to see a Snowdrake with a bowtie that made attire from from a nineteen-sixties department store look like haute couture. He ran up to the group and seemed about ready to continue questioning Undyne, but he caught sight of Snowdrake's mother behind them all, and his focus shifted almost immediately. He changed direction and ran past them all toward them, and when they noticed, the part of them was Snowdrake's mother quickly hopped forward to meet him. They met and locked eyes for a moment (or in the Amalgamate's case, whatever constituted as eyes), before the father muttered, "...Crystahl…?"

"Hon...ey…?" Crystal replied.

"Izzat...izzat really you…?" he asked.

Crystal paused a moment and then smiled gently. "...Yes…" they whispered.

There was silence for a moment...and then he chuukled in a low voice, "Ha ha. That's kinda funny. And also bittahsweet." He sighed and continued, "But it don't mattah much now. I just wish I knew where our son was."

Crystal tilted her head quizzically. "Sno...wy…? Where...is he…?"

Snowdrake's father opened his mouth to say something, but closed it almost as quickly. "Ha ha ha. Not a clue." He paused again and then muttered, "...That's not funny."

"Are you sure he's gone missing?" Snowdrake's parents looked back and saw Undyne had walked up behind them, with most of the others not far behind her.

"I am," Snowdrake's father replied. "Ran away not long aftah Crystal...fell down. Haven't seen him since. I blame myself."

Before Undyne could ask any other questions, someone pushed their way out of the crowd. It was another Snowdrake, wearing triangle shades, and he came out calling, "Actually, old man, _I've_ seen Snowy!"

Everyone turned to look at him and Snowdrake's father asked pointedly, _"Really?"_

"Yeah, he was just with me! We were running around by the lake in the valley, but I turned my back for a second, and boom! Nowhere to be seen," Chilldrake explained.

Snowdrake's father paused and brought one of his wings to his chin in thought. "Hmm. That _really_ doesn't sound funny."

As everyone mulled over what to make of Chilldrake's explanation, Frisk thought harder. Flowey _was_ involved, and had most likely loosed the Amalgamates to cause chaos; that was the only thing she seemed to want to do until he either died for good and gave control of the timeline back to her, or RESET himself. And that meant, since she engineered this, she'd most likely captured Snowy. And if that was true, there was a good chance she'd dusted him already...but Frisk was more optimistic than that. Chances were higher that she'd kidnapped Snowy to goad him into saving him, which, in a way, made sense: Snowy was a rebel, and wouldn't be missed easily unlike, say, Monster Kid. So if nobody went looking, she could just kill him without a fuss and nobody would be any wiser for a long time. But still, that left the question of where did she take him to?

"Hmm," Frisk muttered under his breath. "If I was an omnicidal maniac, where would I hide the people I kidnapped…?" He knew for one thing, it had to be out of the way, where nobody would find it, like the dump. But that wouldn't work too well, because more importantly, it would have to be isolated and no one would even _think_ to look there.

And that left only one place in the entire Underground.

Frisk's eyes shot wide open and in one swift motion, he turned around and jumped on Endogeny's back. Everyone took notice, but before they could react, Frisk yelled, _"Hiyahh,_ mush!"

Endogeny reared up on their back legs and howled in anticipation as Frisk turned them around to face away from Snowdin down and toward the entrance to Waterfall. Endogeny took off with no more provocation and a mist of snow was left where their many legs hit the ground as they thundered down the road. "Faster, boy, faster!" Frisk cried again. "To the lab, boy! Quick! _Quick...!"_

* * *

After only a few minutes, the Royal Lab came into sight, but before they could slow to a stop, Frisk had already jumped off and hit the ground running. He charged up to the door fast enough to force them open before they could properly register that he was there, and he poked his head into the lab to find it empty. He took one tentative step forward, fists raised just in case, and then felt a gentle nudge on his back. Frisk turned around to see Endogeny right behind him, crouching down to avoid hitting the door frame. He couldn't help but smile, but he shook his head and said, "No, buddy. I gotta do this alone. You stay outside."

Endogeny quirked their head to the side in a puzzled manner. **"URF…?"** They kept trying to squeeze into the entrance afterward, but Frisk held up a hand to stop them.

"Hey! No…" Endogeny stopped short and Frisk gently pushed back on their head, forcing them back outside. "No. Sit…" Endogeny sat, though not without a low whine. "...Stay." Frisk held up his hand; Endogeny didn't move an inch. He smiled and nodded once. "...Good boy." He turned around after taking a minute to be sure Endogeny wasn't going to get up, and ran to the back of the lab to find the "bathroom" door wide open, as he'd suspected. Frisk stepped inside and slammed the "down" button. The door closed, a bit too slowly for his liking, and he slammed the button again with his elbow. The elevator dropped and started going down. "Man, the one time I wouldn't _mind_ if this thing malfunctioned. It'd get me down faster," Frisk muttered.

The descent was slow, almost painfully so, but eventually the elevator slowed down and halted. The doors opened to the dank, sterile hall and Frisk cautiously crept out of the compartment, constantly shooting quick glances over his shoulder. He leaned around the corner and saw nothing but a dark hallway that led deeper into the complex, and swallowing his fear, Frisk proceeded.

The next room with the spare elevator that led straight up to New Home was in complete disarray: the vending machine looked like it had exploded and the steel elevator doors had bent and nearly buckled, and were dented in several places. He placed a hand on it and ran his hand over the surface. "...Flowey must've stuck _all_ of them in one place," he murmured. "...No wonder they were all so riled up."

He moved on around the right bend to the mass patient area. He kept creeping forward at a snail's pace; it was a necessary precaution, knowing Flowey could pop up anywhere.

He passed by one of the monitors and nearly lost his cool when it lit up red.

Frisk jumped back against the wall to face it fully. The screen no longer had a log entry, only a smiling emoticon staring at him with dead, digital eyes.

He stayed pressed up against the wall, practically merged to it, for a couple minutes before he unglued himself and quickly walked into the main area. There was no sign of life anywhere. He shot another cautious glance around before he whispered, _"Snowy…?"_ into the silence.

But nobody came.

Frisk remained stationary for another minute to listen. When no other sounds made themselves known, he released the breath he was holding as quietly as he could and began to move to the hallway that led to the DT Extraction machine. Before he could leave the treatment area, however, something broke his concentration.

Something was scratching on the tile.

He froze and turned around. There was nothing there, and he was about to continue moving forward when he heard it again; it sounded like it was coming from the west hallway.

"Golden flowers," Frisk whispered to himself. He remained still for another moment before he pivoted on his heel and crept his way toward the other hall. "...Should've known."

Frisk poked his head around the corner. The hallway looked just like how he remembered it; a row of mirrors and a small alcove dedicated to growing sourgrass flowers on the opposite side. But, at the far end of the hall, he could see a shape. It looked like a Snowdrake, bound up in something. Frisk made no move to expose himself beyond a sliver of his head until he could focus, and soon he got the whole picture: it _was_ Snowy, bound in vines, with a gag in his mouth. He looked frantic, and was jostling himself around to try and loosen the binding, his claws scratching the floor. Frisk looked around one last time before he hissed, _"Psst…!"_

Snowy immediately stopped squirming and looked back at the hallway entrance, and Frisk exposed more of his head. He instinctively put a finger up to his lips and whispered, _"Shhh…"_ After remaining still to be sure Snowy wasn't going to freak out more, he crept through the hall a bit faster than normal, owing to the fact he had found Snowy captive and became determined to save him. When he reached Snowy, he immediately took the gag out of his mouth.

"D-dude…!" Snowy exclaimed.

Frisk held up his finger to shush him again. "It's not _ice_ to run away from your folks, you know."

Snowy didn't stop talking, but he was quieter. "Th-this is no time for p-p-puns!" he hissed.

Frisk stared in shock for a moment before he whispered, "Sorry. Trying to lighten the mood."

"...I-It's okay, j-just get me outta here, please…!" Snowy whispered breathlessly.

Frisk looked down. He pursed his lips after a couple minutes; Flowey was definitely the one who tied him up, and Frisk _knew_ he couldn't touch the vines without alerting her to his presence...if she didn't know he was here already. Undoing knots was not his specialty anyway. "Hey," he whispered back to Snowy, "do you know who brought you down here?"

"Uh...uh, I...I think so…" Snowy stammered. "I don't...I don't remember _how_ they g-got me, exactly, but one minute I was...I was outside, next minute, I got grabbed...and the next thing I knew, I wound up h-h-here."

"Did you get a good look at who did it?" Frisk asked.

Snowy nodded. "It w-w-was...some weird looking flower. They didn't seem happy."

Frisk thought for a moment and then continued, "Where'd they go?"

"Uh," Snowy began, "after they tied me up, I saw them...disappear into the ground. Right where you're sitting, too."

Frisk's eyes widened. He immediately moved forward and tried to throw Snowy away from him, despite not knowing if the vines were stuck in the ground or not. Surprisingly, they weren't, and Snowy yelped as he got flung a few feet to the left.

It was like Frisk could _feel_ the exact moment Flowey decided to strike, as the tiles underneath him exploded and a massive vine flew up, hit him right in the gut, and knocked him backward. Frisk grunted in pain as he got flung onto his back, and the vine disappeared back into the ground as he picked himself back up. He then heard something behind him and saw vines entangling the entrance to the hall until it was completely blocked off. Frisk gritted his teeth and put his fists up. A second later, shrill laughter pierced the air.

" _EEYAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA…!"_

Frisk whirled around to where Snowy had been. He looked okay, if not helplessly on his side from being tossed and crying a little bit. A second later, Flowey herself popped out of the hole the vine had left in the linoleum, grinning like a madman as usual. "Well, hello again," she said mockingly. "How'd you like the _gifts_ I sent you?"

Frisk decided not to dignify her with a snarky comeback. Mainly because he couldn't think of one. "Seriously," Frisk began, "what do you think you're getting out of this?"

"In the short-term?" Flowey replied. She bounced her head and stem to simulate a shrug. "A cheap laugh." She paused and then grinned wider. "Eventually? I'll get your SOUL. You'll be my puppet, and then you'll _never_ leave the Underground!"

Frisk was significantly less amused, as one would expect. "Well, you're not gonna get it by releasing a bunch of failed experiments on the populace," he said. "C'mon, Flowey, I thought you had more class than that."

Flowey pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Like you could do any better." She paused and added, "That's an invitation, by the way."

"I disrespectfully decline," Frisk shot back.

"Ah, whatever," Flowey chortled. "Let's just get to the part where _I kill you!"_

Almost immediately, she summoned several bullet seeds and fired them all at Frisk; he ducked out of the way, then jumped to the side and almost ran into a mirror. Frisk made no move to attack. "Just gonna sit there and take it?" she jeered. Her eyes went completely black and her manic grin widened. "Fine by me!"

Frisk was suddenly surrounded by a ring of bullet seeds. They began closing in, but Frisk maneuvered between them to get out the other side. Then another ring appeared and closed in faster. Frisk squeezed between them, too. Then another one appeared, and another one, and another one. Frisk got through one, then two, then felt his side start burning as he misjudged his distance and one of the bullets tore through him. He hissed in pain, but refused to fall. He fought through it just to move forward. Flowey tilted her head. "Looks like you must be planning something." Her expression suddenly became serious and a halo of bullet seeds appeared around her head, along with vines on both sides of her. "I think it's obvious I can't let that happen." The entire halo of seeds went flying directly at Frisk and in a flash, he steeled himself and rushed forward, ducking under them as they came close. Flowey had planned on that, as she sent both of the vines toward him. They swiped, and Frisk jumped over one and ducked under the other. Another ring of bullets came careening toward him and Frisk threw himself to the ground, but before he could pick himself up, he felt something wrap around his ankle.

The scream barely had time to leave his mouth before the vine that grabbed him swung him over Flowey's head and slammed him into the ground nearest the wall. He was seeing double, but Frisk forced himself to his feet despite his body begging him not to, and he spun around ungracefully and faced Flowey again. "Ready to die, Chara…?"

"If...if that's the price I..pay," Frisk gasped as he gestured to Snowy, "but promise you'll leave Snowy here out of it."

Flowey paused a second and then threw her head back in mocking laughter. "Figures! Stupid kid…" Flowey cackled, "why in the world would you come back here? To save this _idiot,_ no less! One of your little friends, I can get, but this guy's a total _nobody!"_

Frisk took a couple labored breaths and then wiped the blood off his lip and pushed himself to his feet. He glared Flowey dead in the eye for a moment before he deadpanned, "'Froggit, Whimsun...Vegetoid, Loox, Migosp...Moldsmal.'" He paused to emphasize and continued, "'Each one could have been someone else's Toriel. Selfish brat. Someone else is _dead_ because of you.'"

For once, in that small corridor, there was silence. A silence only broken by Flowey chuckling to herself. "Wow, Chara. Way to use my own words against me. I'm _amazed_ you still even remember that," she commented.

"I'm a lot better at memorizing things now," he admitted.

"...Well, then…" Flowey summoned a single bullet seed. "Let's see how well you remember _this_ attack." Frisk tensed up. Every muscle was read to spring him to action at the drop of a pin. He put his fists up to protect his face and clenched them for good measure and the seed…

Began to move through the air at the speed of cold molasses.

His muscles relaxed, but only slightly, and Frisk peeked above the tops of his knuckles to confirm what he was seeing. Indeed, there was one bullet, and it was meandering through the air slowly. And Flowey had that most smug grin he'd ever seen on her face. "Well…? Go on. Let's test your knowledge," she taunted.

Frisk didn't move. "...I don't like that."

"I don't _care_ if you like it or not, idiot," Flowey replied. "All you have to do is _touch_ it."

"...I like that even less."

For once, Flowey seemed to lose her edge. "Then you can wait for it to come to you. Talk to you again in five years." She stuck her tongue out just to goad him onward.

Frisk still didn't move. He was just waiting for the sucker punch. _He_ knew it was there, Flowey knew it was there...the only question was when it would come into play. But the little bullet seed did nothing but float listlessly through the air for a minute, two minutes, five, maybe longer. Eventually, Frisk couldn't take it anymore, and he took a cautious step forward. Flowey seemed to perk up slightly, but she didn't grin like a psychopath. Frisk looked from her to the bullet seed, now only a couple feet away from him and mentally resigned himself to whatever happened was going to happen. He extended his hand out toward the bullet, further, further, until it was only inches away.

And at that moment, the seed shot off to Frisk's right, and flew around both him and Snowy. _"Idiot…!"_ Flowey screeched gleefully. The seed kept circling until it was relatively on the left side of the room again, but Frisk could see that if it kept its trajectory, it would his Snowy. _"Killing you would be fine, but you know I'll make you suffer, and the best way to do that is to make_ others _suffer…! Ah, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…!"_

He had no time to move Snowy out of the way, and with no alternate options, it left Frisk to dive in front of the Snowdrake and put his fists up once again in the vain hope that it would help absorb some of the pain. The seed got closer with every passing second and Frisk only hoped he was strong enough to take as many blows as needed before he could get Snowy out of here.

And something in his SOUL sparked.

He could feel it. The bullet seed rocketed toward him, and just before impact, a brilliant flash of red lit up the hallway, blinding Snowy, Flowey, and Frisk, and for a moment, he forgot where he was. But when he opened his eyes, he saw what had changed.

On his hands were daggers. Push daggers, specifically, katars. The blades were short and wide, and even had a strap that molded around his wrist, and they sported gold-brass supports on the sides for added stability. On the blades themselves were inscriptions of the Delta Rune. Frisk stared at the new armaments of his for a moment before he chuckled and slid the blades across each other twice in quick succession, creating a small show of sparks. He pivoted and settled into a fighting stance and grinned. "All fun and games 'til someone brings out the hedge clippers," he quipped.

Flowey was, much like Snowy, awestruck, although her expression had for more fear written into it than his. She blinked a couple times and then began to frantically look around. "Uh, h...hey, wait, we can...w-we can talk about this!" Frisk tutted and shook his head, which only made Flowey more nervous. "...Right?"

He took a step forward, and to even his amazement, that was all it took. Flowey yelped and ducked into the ground, and all the vines in the hallway undid themselves and slipped away after another moment. Frisk stood up straight and glanced around for a second before he turned back and knelt down in front of Snowy, who was still in mild shock. He prodded the vine with his new katars–Flowey had somehow disconnected it from the ground, as it was the only vine that didn't disappear–and when he deduced they were completely harmless, he sliced them apart and helped Snowy up.

The poor Snowdrake stood up shakily and then ruffled his feathers and stretched. He looked around too, to make sure they were safe, before he turned back to Frisk and chuckled. "That was pretty _cool,"_ Snowy said.

Frisk laughed and corrected, "You mean 'snow' cool."

Snowy gasped. "Aw, man, that was a good one! I'll have to write that down…"

Frisk grinned and shook his head before he started walking away. "Come on," he called back. "Let's get out of here."

Snowy followed him quickly, and they made their way to the elevator that went back up to Alphys' lab, telling bad puns the whole way there. "...but when I looked back and saw the metal was gone, I knew that meant it could only be fool's _cold!"_

Snowy snickered as the two of them left the elevator and walked back through the lab, though the feeling of joy didn't last long when they heard all the commotion outside. Frisk took a glance back at Snowy and then nodded toward the door, and they both ran to it. When it opened up, it revealed a crowd of Monsters, all gathered around the entrance to the lab. Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, and Sans were among them, along with the Amalgamates, and Endogeny was standing right in front of the door, trying to block other people from entering. They turned around when they heard the door open, though, and that was when they decided to back away and let Frisk and Snowy step outside, to the amazement of everyone else.

Frisk remained silent as he tried to think of what to say, but Snowy didn't give him the chance. He ran out as soon as he saw his father in the crowd, emotion overriding motive. Only when he got close did he notice who was standing next to him, though to his credit, they had been partially obscured by the crowd. "...Mom…?"

Crystal tilted her head and then, slowly, a smile crossed her face. "Sn...o...wy…?"

Snowy's face lit up after a moment, and he hugged his mother, home at last. It wasn't truly defying death, but it was leaps and bounds better than nothing. Frisk only remained by the door for another minute before he ran over to Sans and Papyrus. "jeez, kid. runnin' off like that nearly gave me a heart attack."

"THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALRIGHT, THOUGH!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT CONSIDERING HOW FAST YOU RAN OFF, IT MUST HAVE BEEN SERIOUS!"

"yeah, especially considering those two things you got on your wrists," Sans mentioned as he pointed to the katars.

Frisk jumped in surprise and looked down. He'd honestly forgotten they were there; they felt like they were just part of his body until Sans reminded him, but he grinned back up at him triumphantly. "You'll never guess where I got'em," he said. Before he gave Sans the chance to answer, he held up his hands, the inscriptions on the blades facing him, and then willed them to change back. The supports on the blades retracted as if part of a clockwork machine, and then they glowed red until all their original color was lost and the two halves came together into one whole. When his SOUL reverted to its original form, it rapidly fell back and returned to Frisk's body.

Saying the look on Sans' face was worth the price of admission was an understatement.

Papyrus, of course, just thought it looked neat. "WOWIE! WHAT A NEAT TRICK! I KNOW SEVERAL MAGIC TRICKS TOO!" He looked over at Sans, who still hadn't said anything. "SANS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? I GET IT WAS A COOL TRICK, BUT NOTHING WORTH FAINTING OVER!"

Sans still didn't say a word for another minute before he grinned, too. "...i'll be damned…" he muttered before he shook his head and went right back to his laid-back demeanor. "yeah, pretty cool kid. gotta admit, i didn't take you for using a really exotic weapon, though."

Frisk just laughed. "Me neither, but it's amazing what life-or-death situations will teach you about yourself."

Sans chuckled. Before he could add more input however, a lone voice cried out, "A human…!"

Frisk, Sans, Papyrus, and everyone else turned toward the voice. A single Monster had his hand on his head and was pointing at Frisk. "That kid's a human…!" he yelled again.

A great silence fell over the crowd, and the longer it went on, the more uncomfortable Frisk became. He'd been flying by the seat of his pants ever since he'd first left the Ruins, after all. The seconds ticked on and kept wearing away at Frisk's nerves until there was a low murmur that rapidly shifted into uproarious cheering. In almost no time, every Monster in the crowd was celebrating, jumping for joy, hugging each other and swinging their partners through the air; some of the older ones were even shedding tears. The ones closest to him gathered in to ask him questions about the surface, among other things, and while he was nervous at first, he felt Sans' hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see both the skeleton brothers standing behind him, and eventually Undyne pushed through the crowd with Alphys in tow to stand by him, too. It was amazing how everyone trusted the words of a single Monster, but considering Monsters themselves were made of love, trust, and compassion, Frisk couldn't say it was as shocking as it could be.

And so he responded to the questions of the youth and comforted the elders. It wasn't long before the word spread like a disease.

* * *

A/N: I was originally going to make this two separate chapters, but I already pulled that trick, so I forced myself to take the long route ¯\\_(⌣ᗜ⌣")_/¯ Added fun fact, the last chapter is only 9 pages longer than this one. But it ain't done yet.

Also, gotdam, writing the Alphyne scene was hard. Not because I don't like the ship, but because I don't think I can do it justice.


	18. Your Song

[If you want the _full_ experience, go on YT and play **"Undertale - His Theme Remix 2"** by Kamex when it's time. And excuse my cringey lyrics]

Your Song

Things had mostly gone back to normal. Or, as normal as the Underground could get. The Amalgamates had moved in with their original families, save Endogeny; they were collectively adopted by everyone in Snowdin, one could say. It didn't change the fact they made one of the best sentries Snowdin Forest had ever seen.

Frisk, Sans, and Papyrus had been happily eating their breakfast spaghetti for the past fifteen minutes, with thirteen minutes taken up by talking, and the other two actually entailed eating. Pretty standard, especially with Sans cracking jokes every so often.

"...SO AS I WAS SAYING," Papyrus said, "I WAS THINKING WE COULD ALL STAND TO DO SOME JUNIOR JUMBLE LATER TODAY! IT WILL HELP KEEP OUR MINDS SHARP AND READY FOR ANY PUZZLE THAT GETS THROWN OUR WAY!"

"But we did that _yesterday,_ too." Frisk was leaning his head into his left hand, and slumped over to one side.

Papyrus glanced down at him with a surprisingly taciturn expression. "THAT IS NO EXCUSE FOR SHIRKING WORK! YOU'RE A ROYAL GUARD, AND I WILL BE TOO SOMEDAY! WE HAVE TO TAKE OUR WORK SERIOUSLY."

Frisk grimaced. Papyrus had a point. "Shoot," he said as he snapped his fingers.

"if it makes you feel any better, frisk, any kind of puzzle written on paper tends to be…" He trailed off and leaned forward. _"...tear_ -able," he finished with a wink.

Frisk stifled a laugh and rocked forward before Papyrus inhaled and screamed, _"SANS…!_ IT'S TOO EARLY FOR BAD PUNS LIKE THIS!"

"papyrus, it's eight-thirty in the morning," Sans replied.

"YOU'RE ONLY PROVING MY POINT!"

Frisk tried and failed to hold his laughter in as the two skeletons began to argue, Papyrus being his usual boisterous self and Sans always deflecting his responses. It didn't get far before a different sound distracted them.

 _*Ring, ring…_

All three of them paused, and Sans and Papyrus glanced at Frisk. He paused and his phone rang again before Frisk fished it off his belt and asked no one in particular, "Who the heck would be calling me this early?" Still, he hit the dial button and put the receiver up to his ear. "Hello, Frisk speaking."

"O-Oh…! Hi, Frisk!"

Frisk's eyes brightened up and he smiled. "Hi, Alphys! What's up?"

"ALPHYS? OOH, HELLO DOCTOR ALPHYS!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"...Papyrus says 'hi,' too," Frisk added.

He heard Alphys giggle on the other end. "Well, um, tell him I said 'hi' back!" Frisk leaned over momentarily to deliver the news to Papyrus and Alphys continued talking. "Listen, are you gonna be, um, _busy_ today?"

Frisk furrowed his brow and looked over at the other two. Sans returned his expression while Papyrus only looked confused. "Uuhh...not... _too_ busy, I don't think. Why?"

"Well, it's um, about Mettaton, I think-"

" _Mettaton?"_ Frisk repeated.

He heard Alphys suck in her breath through her teeth. "Erm...yeah, I never...explained...him...did I…?" There was a pause and a cough on the other end before Alphys rattled off, "Okay, so Mettaton's deal is that I built him to entertain Monsters, but then I saw you leave the Ruins and I got really attached to your adventure so I asked him to help me help _you_ through the Underground, and I originally had this big plan where I'd get you out of tight spots and help you through Hotland's puzzles, but I, y'know, obviously had to throw all that out the window and…" She paused and then immediately added, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry I spat all that out, I didn't wanna tell you I was gonna do all that…"

"Alphys."

"...But between the Amalgamates and Undyne and...and _other_ things, my brain's just completely fried, like I've been staying up until four a.m. and I've eaten nothing but uncooked instant noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but thankfully Undyne says we're gonna go on a date soon, so hey! No ramen for _that_ evening, but I dunno if _I_ should pay because I'm the one being treated and I only have, like, _one_ decent dress in my whole closet and-"

Frisk shook his head before he called, "Alphys!"

The other line went silent for a minute before he heard her reply, "Y...yes…?"

"It's _okay,"_ he said. "Seriously, I'm in the same boat. The Underground's just..." He cast an aside glance at Sans who flashed him a small grin before he went back and finished, "really mixed up right now, you know?"

"Ha! Sure is…!" Both Frisk and Alphys went quiet for another moment before Alphys coughed and continued, "I should probably get back to Mettaton, shouldn't I?" Before Frisk could offer his input, she said, _"Anyway,_ since everyone knows there's a human living down here, he left me a message saying he was going to invite you onto his show as a guest appearance."

"...And do what?" Frisk remembered the previous times he'd been on Mettaton's show. The first time was genuinely terrifying; every time after that wasn't nearly as bad, but he did kind of feel bad for the robot being forced to act so badly...and _acting_ badly. He'd suspected _something_ was going on in the first timeline, but couldn't pin what it was. Either way, Mettaton wasn't bad.

But that tile puzzle was the spawn of the devil and had no right to exist.

"I...I don't know," Alphys replied relectuantly. "All he sent was 'I'm going to invite the human onto an open spot.' That's seriously it, I'm reading his text right now." There was another pause before Alphys said, "But, uh, don't worry! It...it can't be worse than what I had planned. From what I said before, you know!"

Frisk wanted to thank her, say goodbye, and leave it there, but there was still one thing that could not be ignored. "Alphys…"

"...Yeah?"

Frisk took a deep breath and whispered, "What do you think Asgore will do about this? He might not _watch_ Mettaton's show, but...but he _has_ to know there's a human living down here, right?"

Alphys went silent for a moment before she assured him, "H-hey! Don't worry about him! He's, uh, kinda imposing, but he's a...he's a great guy!"

Frisk shrugged. It was true what they said: "Nothing is more terrifying than a nice king."

"But if you're, um, worried that he may...um...meet you _personally,_ well...don't," she said. "...Actually, he doesn't leave his castle _nearly_ as often as he used to."

Another long pause, but eventually, Frisk sighed and forced himself to perk up. "Well, thanks for the heads-up, Alphys! And good luck on your date!"

"No problem, and um, y-yeah! Thanks! I, uh...man, I might need it." She offered no other explanation as she hung up and Frisk turned back to Sans and Papyrus, the latter of which was practically on the edge of his seat from anticipation.

"SO! HOW DID YOUR TALK WITH ALPHYS GO? DID SHE GIVE YOU ANY USEFUL TIPS FOR SOLVING JUNIOR JUMBLE?" he asked excitedly.

"Unfortunately, no," Frisk replied. "But she did say we might be getting company sometime today."

Sans and Papyrus immediately perked up at that, though Papyrus was first to ask. "OOH, GOODIE! I'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO SPREAD THE LOOK OF MY SMILING FACE TO A NEW ADMIRER! WHO IS IT?"

Frisk looked up and chuckled a couple times before he said, "Well, it's gonna be-"

"KNOCK-KNOCK, DARLINGS!"

Everyone turned back to the door, just in time to see it get thrown back hard enough for the hinges to come loose and it crashed to the ground. Standing behind it was a robot with a rectangular body and LED squares on the front, accompanied by a rather hesitant camera-crew behind him. "METTATON'S FINALLY HERE…!"

"Boss," one of the crew whispered, "was that really necessary?"

"man, i've heard better knock-knock jokes on the back of a cereal box," Sans muttered with a thin grin on his face.

Papyrus was the only one who didn't seem to care that the door had been completely wrecked, if his bug-eyed expression was anything to go by. Mettaton himself ignored both his crew and the looks from Sans and Papyrus and rolled into the kitchen entry and looked right down on Frisk. "FRISK, DARLING, DO YOU HAVE A MOMENT?"

Frisk felt himself freezing up from all the sudden attention; he knew Mettaton had a habit of making everything into a big show, but didn't expect this much of a dramatic entrance. "...Uh...yeah…?"

"EXCELLENT!" Mettaton exclaimed. "BECAUSE I'M INVITING YOU ONTO MY TALK SHOW! ONLY _THE_ MOST-WATCHED SHOW IN THE WHOLE UNDERGROUND!"

"'cause it's one of the only shows we can get down here," Sans said as he rolled his eyes.

Frisk chuckled once at Sans' remark and found himself feeling a bit more relaxed. "Well...I don't have Royal Guard training today, so why the heck not?" he replied courteously.

"OOH, A MAN OF MANY TALENTS. JUST LIKE ME!" Mettaton clapped his hands together in excitement.

"Just, uh...what am I gonna be doing?" Frisk asked. If it was anything like the gauntlet he ran before, he might just have second thoughts.

Mettaton, in response, leaned on the back of one of the chairs and explained, "OH, YOU KNOW, THE USUAL. I INVITE YOU TO SIT DOWN IN A BIG, PLUSH CHAIR, ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS, HAVE SOME TEA, I CRACK A FEW JOKES, THE AUDIENCE LAUGHS, YOU DO A MUSICAL NUMBER, THE WORKS."

"Oh, well if that's all then…" Frisk trailed off and froze for a moment. "'...Musical number…?'"

"OH, YES, DON'T MIND THAT." Mettaton waved his hand dismissively. "I JUST HAD A FEELING YOU HAD A THING FOR THE LIMELIGHT! CALL IT, HMM..." Mettaton paused and scratched his nonexistent chin for a minute before he leaned forward a bit and said, "'SHOWMAN'S INTUITION.'"

Frisk mentally cursed ever having doing the whole "pose-off" schtick every time he fought Mettaton EX.

"WELL, I HATE TO CHAT AND DASH, BUT I'VE GOT TO PREPARE FOR THE SHOW LATER TONIGHT! IT'S AT SIX'O'CLOCK, BE READY!" Frisk felt his blood freeze in his veins. In retrospect, he should have guessed Mettaton wouldn't give him any time to come up with something. "TOODLES!"

Mettaton was about to leave through the hole where the door was before Papyrus suddenly shouted, "MISTER METTATON! CAN I GET YOUR AUTOGRAPH?"

He stopped short and wheeled around and announced, "ANYTHING FOR A FAN!" Mettaton rolled over to Papyrus, pulled a pen out of one of the many, _many_ panels on his body, and quickly grabbed a loose part of Papyrus' scarf and used his hand as an anchoring surface to write his name, and then let go, which got Papyrus jumping up and down like a kid on a sugar high.

"OH! MY! GOD! THIS IS THE _GREATEST_ DAY OF MY LIFE!" he exclaimed.

"THINK NOTHING OF IT, DARLING, IT'S PRACTICALLY PART OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION!" Mettaton then blew a kiss to the three of them, which actually did create a pink heart in the air signed with a capital "M," and then he quickly disappeared out the front door, along with the camera crew. It left the others in contemplative silence for a moment, Frisk slumped forward over the table and Sans facing the door but casting sideways glances at Frisk. Papyrus was the only one who looked even remotely excited, and didn't seem to mind the fact they'd have to reattach the door.

"WELL?" he asked after a moment. "WHAT SONG ARE YOU GOING TO DO FOR YOUR MUSICAL NUMBER, FRISK?"

Frisk sighed and picked up his phone and started to dial. "Guess we better go talk to Alphys about this," he muttered.

Papyrus put a thoughtful finger on his chin and said, "I...HAVE NEVER HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE."

Frisk groaned, Sans chuckled, and they all left the house, though Sans made sure to prop up the door so that it was _mostly_ covering the entrance. At the very least, it would keep the snow out.

* * *

Papyrus was the first one to knock on the doors to the lab, with his usual enthusiasm, expounded on due to the fact his scarf now bore Mettaton's handwriting. Sans was quick to mention there was no way on this earth he was going to wash the thing now.

"Come in!" The doors slid open and the trio entered Alphys' Lab; she herself had been watching something at the computer, which she closed almost immediately. Frisk had caught a single frame that looked like an anime he had never seen before.

Alphys pushed herself away from the console and spun around in the chair to face the others. "Hi, guys!" she said. "So, uh, did Mettaton show up yet?"

"and how," Sans chuckled.

"Oh." Alphys broke eye contact for a second–perhaps some sort of second-hand guilt–before she continued, "W-Well, uh, how'd it go, then? Is Frisk going to be on TV?"

Sans looked down at Frisk, who sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "...Long story short, yeah," he explained, "but the tin can also wants me to do a musical number."

Alphys went quiet for a moment before she coughed into her fist and declared, "Well! It's a good thing! I assumed he'd do this!" She jumped out of her chair and ran up to the loft where the three others heard some objects being pushed around, thrown on the floor, some indiscernible curses, and some pages being ruffled until Alphys came back down the other side of the loft with a guitar. "Th-This is still a prototype, but I should be able to get it done before Mettaton's show! Here, try it!" She excitedly handed the guitar to Frisk, who looked it over.

It was an electric type, and not modeled after any surface-world variants he could remember. It was also painted vibrant red and sparkled all over as if had been bathed in glitter and sequins. There were rainbow colored stars painted on the body. "Well, it…" He bit his lips as he said, _"looks_ cool, but...I dunno how to play guitar."

A huge grin spread across Alphys' face. "Oh, you don't _play_ it," she explained quickly. "Well, um, not in the t-traditional sense. See, I started making instruments like this as part of a theory about how well magic could, like, _interface_ with the mind a-and how it could be used, so this guitar actually _reads_ your _mind."_ She paused and then quickly added, "But not like in the, um, _traditional_ sense, more like it...um, you just think of the sound you want to play, and the enchantment _reacts_ to that. To...save you a long, boring lecture on metaphysics."

Frisk's eyes steadily got wider as Alphys explained things, until he glanced from her down to the guitar in his hands. He didn't know how it was possible something _this_ awesome could have such a tacky paint job, but that was something he'd have to change later. He looked back up at her with a glint in his eye. _"Seriously…?"_

"Yeah, seriously!" Alphys replied proudly. She deflated for a moment and added, "But, um, d-don't take _my_ word for it, try it out!"

Frisk looked from Alphys to the guitar and back again until he finally jumped up and strummed the guitar while thinking of the loudest note he could. The sound came out of the speakers on the back, which was the only reason Alphys didn't get blasted as far as Sans and Papyrus, who tumbled backward and hit the opposite wall. It vibrated so much that several lab beakers shook themselves off the shelves and shattered on the floor, which made Frisk hold the strings of the guitar to keep them from vibrating. "Oh my God, Alphys, I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't think-"

"I-It's okay, it's okay!" she cut him off. Alphys took off her glasses and cleaned them on her coat as she looked over at the shattered glass on the floor. "To be honest, I, um...probably should've seen that coming…"

"THAT WAS INCREDIBLY LOUD" Papyrus had sat up almost immediately from laying on the floor after the sound dissipated. "BUT ALSO INCREDIBLY COOL! ALMOST AS COOL AS MY XYLOPHONE SKILLS!"

Sans was still laying back on the floor, apparently unfazed with the category five soundquake. "bro, you don't play the xylophone," he whispered.

"So how can you say these things are only prototypes? Sounds ready for use to me," Frisk mused as he looked the guitar up and down, oblivious to Sans' comment.

"W-Well, the only problem it has is that it gets...fried when trying to string together a long sequence of notes. But that's an easy fix!" Alphys said. "I-If this had happened, um...several years ago, _maaaaaaaybe_ it would have been a problem. But not anymore."

"...Oh."

Frisk suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Papyrus smiling down at him. "I AM SO PROUD OF YOU, FRISK!" he exclaimed. "YOU'RE REALLY MAKING A NAME FOR YOURSELF! LIKE ME!"

Frisk felt himself smiling back after a moment and then he hugged Papyrus himself. "I'm proud of you too."

He looked stunned for a moment, but Papyrus eventually picked Frisk up and swung him around, laughing "NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" the whole time. Frisk was laughing, too. He set Frisk down, who looked from him, to Sans, and back to Alphys to ask, "Hey, did you make any extra guitars like that?"

She seemed a little surprised, but replied, "Uh, no, but I-I _did_ make a couple other instruments!" Then she paused and asked, "...Why?"

Frisk didn't answer her question directly. His face just lit up and he looked back at Papyrus, exclaiming, "Oh my God, we could do that musical bit _together!"_

It took a moment before Papyrus' eyes began to sparkle and he cupped his gloves to his cheeks. He inhaled dramatically, turned around, and cried, "SANS! DID YOU HEAR THAT!?"

Sans lethargically pushed himself up to sit on the ground. "yup," was his only answer.

"WELL? CAN WE ALL PLAY THESE COOL MIND-READING INSTRUMENTS TOGETHER FOR THE SHOW TONIGHT?"

Sans paused a moment, and then chuckled, "why not? I don't see a problem with all of us getting up onstage."

Papyrus jumped up triumphantly and landed with both hands on his hips. "EXCELLENT! AS LONG AS YOU'RE NOT A TOTAL LAZYBONES AND END UP LATE OR FALL ASLEEP DURING THE PERFORMANCE, I _KNOW_ IT WILL BE-"

"i just hope it's not like the time a c, e-flat, and g walked into a bar…" Sans interrupted.

Papyrus' face immediately went stoic and he gritted his teeth. "SANS, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT…"

Sans was grinning wider already. "...'cause the bartender turned'em around and said, 'sorry, we don't serve _minors_ here.'"

"ARE YOU _KIDDING_ ME, SANS!?" Papyrus shrieked.

Frisk was starting to giggle, but he added, "Hopefully, we won't get into any _major_ trouble."

Papyrus whipped his head around to glare at Frisk. "FRISK...!"

"Although," Sans snickered, "we _should_ be thankful we're not playing in a church, since skeletons don't have _organs."_

" _SAAAAAAANS…!"_

"...That's a...a _sharp_ observation," Frisk returned, barely holding the giggles back.

"OH MY GOD, I GIVE UP…!" Papyrus threw his arms into the air and walked over to the wall only to smack his head against the stucco and stay there. And also sob intermittently. Sans and Frisk were too busy laughing to care, and even Alphys couldn't help but get a decent chuckle out of the scene.

After letting the laughter die down, she stepped forward. "A-Alright! If you're all agreed on that, I'll get working on...improving the designs, and I'll get them to you before the show! How's that sound?"

"Sounds good," Frisk replied, somewhat out of breath. Sans only gave her a thumbs-up. "Thanks, Alphys."

"D-Don't mention it! I've been looking for new things to work on n-now that the Amalgamates are sorted out," she replied as they all began to leave. With one last "goodbye," the door to the lab shut and the three stood in the crossroads that led to the resort.

"well, frisk?" Sans asked after a moment. "time to head home?"

Frisk was about to nod, but then remembered that even with their instruments taken care of, they would need someone with the more technical knowledge of producing music to keep things flowing. And there was only one Monster in the Underground with that kind of knowledge. "Actually, I think there's someone else we should see."

* * *

It seemed that Waterfall was becoming a very familiar sight to Frisk, and at the same time, it all felt so different. Nothing was walking the line of time in a linear order. It was most obvious as Frisk stared at the front door of a little blue house with a small circular window on the upper floor. He looked back at Sans and Papyrus; Papyrus continued to smile as he glanced from Frisk and down to Sans. Frisk wasn't sure if he was awake until he lazily opened one eye and gave Frisk a thumbs-up. Frisk smiled back and knocked. There was no answer, so he knocked harder.

"no one's home….." Napstablook said, his voice muffled by the door between them.

Frisk sighed and knocked one last time and said, "Napstablook, it's me, Frisk. You remember me, right?"

There was silence for a moment, but Napstablook did speak again, and his voice sounded louder now, though in all honesty, it wasn't saying much. It meant he must have been closer to the door. "...oh….hi, frisk," he replied. "i didn't think you'd come out to see me….being a big star all of a sudden."

Frisk scoffed under his breath and turned to look back at Sans and papyrus once again before he explained, "Well, actually, that's part of the reason I came over. We need your help 'cause Mettaton invited me onto his show…"

Napstablook's voice audibly shrunk. "metta invited you…? oh, no…."

Frisk immediately shut his mouth and pursed his lips. "Bl...Napstablook, what's wrong…?

Napstablook's response was almost immediate. "oh, i could _never_ be on mettaton's show with you…..i'm just…..not made for the spotlight…."

"But…" Frisk trailed off and looked down at his shoes for a minute. "But don't you want to see him again?"

"...i guess so," napstablook replied, "but metta probably doesn't want to see me."

"Hey, that's not true!" Frisk rebuked him. "Mettaton's practically been _dying_ to hear from you again ever since Alphys made that new body for him!"

Silence again. Then, a small voice from inside that asked, "...really? you're sure…..?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, 'cause..." Frisk stopped himself short before he told Napstablook about what he'd been through on the final stage of the CORE, because it hadn't happened yet. It may _never_ happen, either. His train of thought hitched and Frisk found himself droning a low, "Uuhhhh…" Then, he felt noticed Sans step up to the door alongside him.

"...'cause the kid knows you're family," Sans finished for him, "and if family loves each other a lot, there's no way in the world they'd just leave each other behind. you and mettaton _are_ family, right?"

"...yeah, but-"

"Then hey, you got nothing to worry about," Sans replied. "besides, only way to know if he doesn't wanna talk to you is if you ask him about it."

Before Napstablook could interject again, Papyrus walked up behind Sans and Frisk and exclaimed, "YES! METTATON IS COMPLETELY DEVOTED TO HIS FANS, SO IF YOU'RE METTATON'S COUSIN, I HAVE NO DOUBT HE'D BE EVEN MORE DEVOTED TO YOU! NYEH-HEH-HEH!"

"...you're sure?"

Frisk glanced up at both Sans and Papyrus, smiling widely as if to silently say "thank you." He looked back at Napstablook's door and replied, "Absolutely sure. Come on, Napstablook, _pleeeease_ help us? All you have to do is DJ."

Napstablook didn't say anything after that, only allowing silence to fill the air. As the seconds ticked on, Frisk, Sans, and Papyrus began to share looks of increasing worry. But then, something made a creaking noise, and they all faced front to see Napstablook's door open a sliver. Then, the door opened a more, inch by inch, until it opened completely. Behind it was Napstablook, wearing his dapper top hat. He didn't look _happy..._ but he certainly wasn't sad right now, either. "okay. i'll try, i guess…" he sighed.

The three others blinked a couple times, and while Papyrus and Sans shared a couple surprised glances, Frisk smiled wider and stepped forward to hug the ghost. "...Thanks, Blook," he whispered.

"oh…..oh, you're welcome...i guess," Napstablook replied.

* * *

They'd all gone back to Snowdin for a few hours, and Frisk probably would have fretted about his first appearance on public TV more of it hadn't actually been his first appearance on public TV, chronologically. But the evening came, and the two skeleton brothers and their small, adopted human sibling marched out to Waterfall, picked up a ghost, and then walked all the way over to Alphys' lab; she was waiting for them with an electric guitar, a fold-up keyboard, and a drum kit that came with a large bag for easy transport, and explained that thanks to her improvements, the instruments could receive data from their "lead," in this case the guitar, to create sheet music that anyone who played the other instruments could follow. Sans took the keyboard while Papyrus lugged the drum kit around, and they bid her goodbye and marched up to MTT Resort.

The waiting area of was much the same as it looked before; wide open, a receptionist behind the front desk, Monsters mulling about, and the stupid fountain violating four key OSHA regulations. That was only something that stayed in the back of Frisk's head, however, as he and his troupe approached the front desk. When the receptionist noticed them, she bowed quickly and said, "Ah, hello! You must be here to see Mettaton, yes?"

"YES, INDEED!" Papyrus declared. "IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND AS TO POINT US IN HIS DIRECTION, IT WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!"

The clerk leaned on the counter and everyone followed her finger as she pointed across the room to the elevator Frisk raised an eyebrow. _Guess that thing finally got fixed,_ he thought to himself.

"Of course! Just take that elevator up to the seventh floor, immediately go right, turn left at the end of the hall, and the studio entrance will be the third door on the right."

Frisk tilted his head quizzically. Since when did Mettaton have an _entire_ TV studio installed in the hotel? However, the longer he thought about it, the more he realized that this _was_ a resort. The fact that it was Mettaton's resort at the end of the day helped him come to terms faster. "You'll want to go backstage though, so keep heading straight, then go right at the first chance you get. The door you want will be marked with a plaque that says 'VIP' entrance." She relaxed and faced the group again and finished, "Mettaton _should_ be waiting for you, but if he's not, give it a few minutes."

Papyrus puffed his chest out and turned to walk to the elevator. "EXCELLENT! WE SHALL NOT KEEP HIM WAITING, THEN!"

As Sans and Napstablook followed Papyrus, Frisk gave the clerk a quick "Thank you" and followed the other three. No questions really needed asking on how she knew what they were here for; Frisk was pretty recognizable in his signature striped shirt, and Mettaton's staff were probably in the loop about a human coming on to his show. Probably wasn't hard to put two and two together. They walked up to the elevator and waited, as Papyrus had pushed the "Call" button long before Frisk rejoined them. It didn't take long, surprisingly enough, and they all crammed into the admittedly uncomfortably small lift; it probably would have been more bearable if the capacity was only limited to one or two people. The ride up was spent in silence, but soon the elevator dinged and the doors opened up to the seventh floor.

The floors were all carpeted in red with geometric patterns for added modernity, mostly squares and rectangles, and the wallpaper and decor looked like it was ripped from the same catalog that Westermere Palace used to decorate. After gawking at the interior for a minute, Frisk shook his head and asked, "Okay, which way did the lady at the desk tell us to go again?"

"RIGHT!" Papyrus declared.

"...right…."

Sans snuck a quick look at them by opening one eye and muttered, "...left."

"SANS!" Papyrus whipped his head around and glared daggers at him, and Sans and Frisk couldn't help but chuckle. After the pause, the four of them made down the hall until they reached the end and made a left, and saw a double door with half a golden star embossed on each side, marking it as the entrance to Mettaton's in-house TV studio. They pressed forward until they came to a T-intersection and turned right. The halls had barely changed from what they were before, the corridors were simply wider to allow more people through, so they found the door they needed without any hassle. After a brief pause, Papyrus opened it up to a sparsely-decorated back room with various props laying around, as well as two hallways that split off to the left and right to some dressing rooms and in the middle of the room…

"AH, THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS! I WAS WONDERING-"

Mettaton did look excited for a moment. Then he noticed Napstablook floating around and peering out from behind Papyrus' bulky frame as if trying to hide, and stopped short, filling the room with silence. "...BLOOKY?"

Napstablook's eyes widened for a second, but he remained behind Papyrus. "oh…...hi, metta….i didn't think you noticed me…."

"I…" Mettaton trailed off and seemed to be deep in thought as he brought up a hand to scratch his nonexistent chin. He seemed to take a quick glance over at Frisk, but it was hard to tell; the robot didn't actually _have_ eyes, after all. "WELL, OF COURSE I DID. I JUST...DIDN'T THINK YOU'D COME TO SEE ME. YOU WERE ALWAYS VERY INTROVERTED." His tone had changed. No longer was Mettaton a flashy showman; now his voice was low and measured...somber, perhaps.

"oh…..oh, no…." Napstablook muttered, "does that mean i'm interrupting something right now….?"

"WHAT? NO!" Mettaton replied. "ABSOLUTELY NOT. BUT...WHY _ARE_ YOU HERE?"

Frisk hesitantly raised his hand, and once Mettaton had turned to look at him, he said, "I, um...well, for the music number...I mean, I needed someone to DJ for the performance, so…"

Silence fell again after Mettaton only uttered a flat "Ah" in understanding. It persisted for a few minutes before Napstablook said, "...i guess it wasn't a good idea for me to come here…..i've just….made things awkward. i'll go…"

Mettaton, in contrast to how unsure of his movements he was before, practically lunged forward, forcing the three others to jump out of the way. "BLOOKY…" Mettaton trailed off as he rolled closer. "THAT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. JUSTI…" He went completely silent for a moment before he continued, in a low tone the others couldn't hear, "I almost lost myself."

Napstablook tilted his head. "you…..lost…..?"

Mettaton laughed. It was low and coarse. "Stardom changes you, darling," he replied, "no matter how insular you are. But I guess the only thing keeping me from going off the deep end entirely was the hope that you'd call. Or visit. Or something. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that's a rather...stupid idea to have."

"oh, no….i'm sorry, metta….if i'd known….."

"Blooky, it's alright," Mettaton said. "Like I said...it's not your fault, anyway." They both fell silent until, after a minute, Mettaton checked his wrist and cried, "OH, DEAR! THE SHOW'S ALMOST ABOUT TO START!" He would have rolled away and ushered Frisk around the back wall of the stage in front of them if Napstablook hadn't been there. Instead, he leaned back and whispered, "WE'LL TALK AFTER THE SHOW, DARLING. HOW DOES THAT SOUND?"

Napstablook paused for a moment, but after a few seconds, a tentative smile crept across his face. "really…? you mean it…?"

"WITH ALL MY METAL HEART, BLOOKY," Mettaton replied. Napstablook nodded, and it seemed that the robot perked right back up as he straightened and rolled over to Frisk, who was standing a couple feet away, on Mettaton's left. "ALRIGHT, DARLING, IT'S SHOWTIME!" he exclaimed. "AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO WILL BE SO SIMPLE, A BABY COULD DO IT! I'M JUST GOING TO STROLL OUT THERE, GET THE CROWD EXCITED, AND THEN USHER YOU ONSTAGE!" He rolled over to one side of the back wall and continued, "AFTER THAT, YOU SIT DOWN AND ANSWER, OH...FOUR QUESTIONS TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY. SIMPLE QUESTIONS, TOO, AND THEN YOU'LL DO THE MUSICAL NUMBER. A PIECE OF CAKE, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF!" Frisk couldn't exactly find the right words to accurately portray how much he didn't _want_ to do a song and dance routine, but…

He looked over at Papyrus and Sans, who were smiling at him proudly, Papyrus being the more invested and enthusiastic of the two, of course.

⭐Your friends' encouragement fills you with determination.⭐

Frisk looked back over at Mettaton and smiled. "Okay."

Mettaton clapped his hands once and said, "ALRIGHT DARLING, GET READY TO KNOCK'EM DEAD!" before he slipped out onto the show stage. It had already been prepared ahead of time, and sported a desk on the right side and a large plush chair next to the desk. It was dark for a moment before Mettaton rolled out across the stage, and Frisk could see, as he hid behind the curtains on the side, that there were cameras all focused on the stage and bleachers filled to the brim with Monsters. The VIPs and high-rollers who could afford front-row seats to Mettaton's venue. Frisk felt his pulse get faster.

"GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES!" Mettaton's greeting was met with applause from across the whole studio, and it persisted for a few seconds before it was quiet enough for Mettaton to continue, "AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO SEE ALL OF YOU LOVELY VIEWERS AGAIN!" He rolled over to the desk and had a seat behind it. "WELL! I MUST SAY, WE'VE GOT A VERY _SPECIAL_ SHOW FOR YOU TONIGHT, SINCE I'VE MANAGED TO GET THE NEWEST STAR OF THE UNDERGROUND A PLACE ON OUR TIME SLOT!"

The crowd proceeded to gawk and whisper indiscernibly amongst themselves. Something Mettaton must have been hoping for, as he leaned over his desk and pointed to the cameras, exclaiming, "THAT'S RIGHT! YOU'VE HEARD THEIR NAME, YOU'VE SEEN THEIR FACE, NOW IT'S TIME TO GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL! LADIES, GENTLEMEN, GHOSTS, AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN, PLEASE WELCOME ONTO OUR STAGE, THE ONE, THE ONLY... _FRISK!"_

Mettaton gestured out with his right hand, palm open, and Frisk took a deep breath in as he walked out onstage. The applause started up almost immediately. The show's jingle played loudly over the speakers. The stage lights were blaring. He turned his attention over to Mettaton, who then gestured to the large plush chair next to his desk, and Frisk gingerly sat down and smiled politely.

"DARLING, I MUST SAY, IT'S A _PLEASURE_ TO HAVE YOU WITH US TONIGHT," Mettaton began as he leaned his arms on the desk, "BUT LET'S SKIP THE USUAL PLEASANTRIES AND GET RIGHT INTO THE GOOD STUFF, HMM?" He didn't really allow Frisk any room to reply as he pulled up a sheet of paper from his desk and asked, "SO TELL US...HOW DID YOU GET HERE?"

"I fell down a hole on Mount Ebbott," Frisk replied without skipping a beat. "It was getting late, and it was hard to see where I was going, so I ended up tripping and falling in."

"MMM, I SEE. VERY INTERESTING. IN THAT CASE, WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF THE UNDERGROUND?"

Frisk looked about ready to answer, but he paused to think, and then, after taking a deep breath, he said, "It...was weird. It wasn't like the surface world at all. The first Monster I met was..." He stopped himself before he said Toriel's name and instead, articulated, "...Really nice. She took me in and...gave me practically everything I never had on the surface." The crowd murmured quietly amongst themselves.

Mettaton adjusted the paper he was holding. "AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO GET BACK THERE?"

"To the surface?" Frisk asked. Mettaton nodded, and for once, Frisk actually smiled as he answered, "I'm not."

Mettaton and the audience immediately stared at him in wide-eyed shock. Frisk quickly rectified his...poor choice of words. "Erm, not...until...I've...taken care of some loose ends down here. But it won't take too long. And besides…" He trailed off and looked away from Mettaton for a second before he licked his lips and said, "I'm...not too keen on fighting Asgore."

A silence fell over the studio, awkward in its countenance, until Mettaton nodded and asked, "MMM-HMMM, VERY INSIGHTFUL. IN THAT CASE, AND JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME…" He leaned back over the table and stared Frisk dead in the eyes, "...WOULD YOU SMOOCH A GHOST?"

Frisk paused, only to make sure he didn't laugh out loud. His smile was probably enough to be seen by the cameras all being piloted from the audience's seats. "Heck yeah."

The crowd broke into sparse laughs and a few of them applauded. Mettaton cast an aside glance at them and mock-whispered, "FOLKS, I COULDN'T HAVE PICKED A BETTER ANSWER MYSELF." If he had the eyebrows to wiggle, by God, he would have gone crazy with it. However, he quickly popped up to full height from behind the desk and rolled out, announcing, "ALRIGHT EVERYONE, YOU'VE HEARD THE ANSWERS, BUT IT'S STILL NOT OVER YET!" The audience quieted down and quickly listened up. "BECAUSE DID YOU KNOW...THAT OUR NEW LITTLE FRIEND IS A SHOWMAN JUST LIKE YOURS TRULY?"

Some gasps of awe began to emanate from the crowd. "IT'S TRUE!" Mettaton continued, "AND IN FACT, THEY'RE GOING TO PROVE IT RIGHT NOW. IF YOU WOULD GIVE THEM YOUR FULL AND UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES…"

Suddenly, the curtains behind and in front of him and Mettaton fell, and the stage began to rearrange itself. The desk and chair were lifted up, most likely by magic, and floated off to the side; almost immediately, the whole layout began to shift to look like a concert stage. He looked over to his right and saw Papyrus and Sans waiting there. They had moved when the interview segment started, and Frisk quickly waved them over. Surprisingly, Sans got over to him first. "wow, that time already?" he asked jokingly.

"...I think you should just hurry up and get that keyboard unfolded," Frisk replied. Sans shrugged and tossed the thing off his back and pulled it out. It wasn't made to look like any keyboard model he'd seen before. Papyrus hurried past them both, and quickly waved to Mettaton as he went to the right-hand side of the stage and set all the drum kit pieces on the ground and quickly assembled them.

Finally, Napstablook floated over and looked around nervously. "i don't see a mixing station here….oh, well…"

Mettaton, in response, wiggled his index finger, and a rectangular section of the stage cut away and lowered, just to rise back up with a turntable and mixing equipment on it. Napstablook stared at it in muted amazement for a moment before he looked over at Mettaton, who said, "BLOOKY, DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULDN'T HAVE A _TURNTABLE_ OF ALL THINGS LYING AROUND? IT'S PRACTICALLY REQUIRED!"

Napstablook continued to stare at Mettaton for a moment before he smiled, and then floated up and took his place behind the turntable. They were all in place, and Frisk couldn't help but smile himself, but Mettaton quickly shook him out of his thoughts by placing a microphone stand smack in front of him...and then quickly adjusting the height to go lower. Frisk pursed his lips and glared at the robot for a moment before he shook his head and let it go. Before anything else could happen, however, he heard Sans ask, "so, did you uh...have any _ideas_ for what you're gonna be singing, or are you making this up as you go along?"

Frisk glanced back at him, and smiled after a pause. "I've known since I fell down," he replied quietly but confidently.

Wasting no more time, the curtains flew back open again, and the audience was now on the edges of their seats, gazing intently at the ensemble onstage. The three performers looked out to meet their gazes as the lights dimmed and Mettaton proclaimed, "HERE'S THE SONG AND DANCE I'VE ARRANGED THAT'LL BLOW YOU AWAY!"

Frisk breathed in and began to strum on the guitar. It didn't feel like playing a "real" one, of course (even though he had no idea what it was like to play a six-string that couldn't read his thoughts). But he heard the melody in his head, and after so long of hearing the lyrics repeated in his head, he finally knew what they meant as he opened his mouth and spoke a truth only he knew:

 _No, I'm not the one you seek,_

 _But you're the one I need._

 _Everyone's here with me, so_

 _Why do I feel alone?_

 _I would give up anything_

 _For what I had back then._

 _The bond that we had before,_

 _Is it too late to mend?_

 _You ask for proof then,_

 _I'll bear my heart then,_

 _And then we'll meet in the middle._

 _You take the high road,_

 _I'll take the low road,_

 _And then we'll meet in the middle._

Music filled the studio, reverberating off the walls. The stage lights kept blaring, beating in time with Frisk's heart. It was painful to know that all of them but one wouldn't know the true pain in the words, but it was better that way. For now.

He kept strumming on the guitar with measured madness, and Sans and Papyrus followed his lead. Napstablook took these separate parts and made them one whole, a sonata for two broken souls.

 _When we meet once again,_

 _Don't think you must confess_

 _All your sins, just let them go,_

' _Cause you already know_

 _Doesn't matter what you do,_

 _I'll still be there for you,_

 _By your side until the end,_

 _You'll still be my best friend._

 _I am here..._

 _Still right here._

 _You'll be fine…_

 _In due time._

Finally, the music hit a lull, forcing Frisk to breathe for a moment and blink the tears forming in the corners of his eyes away. He didn't look back and focused all his energy on finishing the song before it ended up killing him inside.

 _I'm here now,_

 _Don't fear now,_

 _I'll bear you up and far away,_

 _You take the high road,_

 _I'll take the low road,_

 _And we'll meet again some day._

He barely even realized he'd choked out the last line when silence fell over the studio. The lights faded and went back to normal, and the Monsters who had VIP access stared at the ensemble onstage. Frisk looked out amongst them; he couldn't read their faces, and so he turned back to Papyrus. He was staring hopefully out at the crowd as well. Sans had a more pensive look on his face, but when he saw Frisk looking at her expectantly, he just shrugged. He swallowed hard and turned back to the audience.

Then the cheering erupted and became almost overwhelmingly loud.

They whistled, yelled for an encore, which unfortunately for them, wasn't bound to happen soon, and a few Monsters even stood up to clap. Needless to say, it left Frisk stunned for a good two minutes, and he was only broken out of it when Sans laid a hand on his shoulder and grinned down at him. He tried to smile back, but by then he'd already been waving back to the crowd. Mettaton had already rolled onstage before he could get a word in edgewise with Sans and Papyrus.

"WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES!" he cried. "ONE SHOW-STOPPING, JAW-DROPPING PERFORMANCE BY THE UPCOMING STARS OF THE UNDERGROUND! LET'S GIVE THEM A FORMAL ROUND OF APPLAUSE, SHALL WE?" Mettaton started clapping, and the rest of the studio followed suit. When it finally started to die down, Mettaton leaned over and shoved his microphone right up in Frisk's face and asked, "I MUST SAY, DARLING THAT WAS _QUITE_ THE PERFORMANCE, EVEN BY MY STANDARDS! SO THAT'S _REALLY_ SAYING SOMETHING! HOW DO YOU FEEL AFTER THAT?"

Frisk felt himself smile a bit as he stuttered, "Uh...heh-heh, pretty tired." He wanted to be truthful and say he was more _emotionally_ tired than anything else, but that was probably dipping into uncomfortable territory.

"MMM, I CAN TELL! WHAT ABOUT OUR LOVELY BACKUP ARTISTS, THOUGH? HOW'D YOU ROPE THEM INTO THIS?" Mettaton leaned over and pushed the microphone up to Sans's mouth, and he reflexively leaned away and pushed Mettaton's arm back.

"what, you kidding? frisk's practically my little brother. nothing about being 'roped' into anything."

Mettaton pulled the mic back and announced, "TRUER WORDS HAVE NEVER BEEN SPOKEN, I'M SURE!" before he leaned over to Papyrus and continued, "AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?"

Papyrus straightened up and ran a glove through his nonexistent hair. "NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NEVER ONE TO TURN DOWN A PUBLIC APPEARANCE! HAVING THE HUMAN ALONG IS JUST A BONUS!" he said.

"WELL, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, FOLKS!" Mettaton exclaimed. He then rolled around the group and back to Napstablook's DJ stand. The ghost was still floating there, but looked a bit more awkward when Mettaton forced him into the limelight. And unlike the other three, he asked no questions. "AND IF YOU ALL WOULDN'T MIND," he began, "LET'S GIVE OUR MIXER A _HUMONGOUS_ ROUND OF APPLAUSE!" He started clapping, and the rest of the audience followed along, as well as Sans, Papyrus, and Frisk. While they were busy, however, Mettaton leaned over and whispered, "BLOOKY, YOU SHOULD WEAR THAT HAT MORE OFTEN. IT LOOKS _PAR EXCELANCE_ ON YOU."

"...you…...really think so….?" he asked.

"DARLING, I COULDN'T _BE_ MORE CERTAIN," Mettaton replied.

Napstablook gave Mettaton one of his rare, happy smiles. "ha….ha…..thank you….." he said. There was silence for only a moment before Napstablook mentioned, "oh, metta…..don't you have a show to host….?"

That seemed to be enough to bring Mettaton's stage persona back, as he reached up to grab his frame in surprise and he exclaimed, "GOODNESS GRACIOUS, YOU'RE RIGHT!" He rolled his way back up in front of the three others and began gesturing wildly with his hands as he articulated, "WHAT TECHNIQUE! WHAT STYLE! WHAT _PASSION...!"_ He turned back and held up the mic to Frisk one more time and questioned, "THERE MUST BE A SOURCE FOR SUCH A _POWERFUL_ PERFORMANCE! SURELY, THERE'S A LUCKY VIEWER OUT THERE YOU DEDICATED THIS SONG TO…?"

Frisk opened his mouth, but had to stop himself from responding so quickly. It was sort of a pity he couldn't name names...but it was probably better that way.

For now.

"That song's dedicated to _all_ my friends!" Frisk announced. Mettaton looked let-down for a moment (compromise doesn't drive the ratings up, you know) until Frisk added triumphantly, "But it's dedicated to _one_ in particular!" He stepped forward and pointed at the audience, at the cameras. "You know who you are."

There were sparse whispers among the audience, and a few excited whistles, before Mettaton took center stage again and waved at the viewers. "WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT, FOLKS! AN INTERVIEW, DINNER, AND A SHOW! YOU'VE BEEN A _WONDERFUL_ AUDIENCE! GOOD NIGHT!"

The show's ending jingle began to play as the crowd erupted into applause, and Frisk found himself waving along with Mettaton, back at the viewers, until the curtains fell. Once they did, he let his shoulders sag and he sighed in relief. Sans looked over at him and asked, "ready to go home, buddo?"

"Yep."

"THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN, THOUGH!" Papyrus exclaimed as they walked backstage and out the dressing room doors. They waved goodbye to Papyrus and Napstablook, how obviously had some catching up to do. "WE SHOULD DO THIS MORE OFTEN!"

Frisk chuckled weakly. "Maybe someday, Papyrus. Maybe someday." Frisk wanted to keep the rest of the walk home quiet as they filed out into the hall they entered from, but the sound of his phone going off sort of prevented that.

 _*Ring, ring…_

Frisk stopped short and looked up at Sans and Papyrus for a moment before he sighed and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Ohmigod, Frisk? Wow, I...I didn't think you'd pick up that quick," came Alphys' voice on the other end

Frisk couldn't help but scoff, mostly in surprise and not from any condescending notion. "I mean...it's not like I'm doing much else right now. What's up?"

"Oh! Uh," Alphys coughed and stammered, "Well, I was, uh...I happened to watch your, um...your performance a-and...and I've got it recorded. Um, just wanted to make sure things went okay, s-so, um...do you mind that? Seemed like you got... _really_ into singing at the end there."

Frisk paused as the surprise washed over him, but quickly recovered. "No, Alphys, that's okay." He trailed off, and the more he thought about it, the more he decided that maybe a memento like this was what he needed. At the very least, it would remind him of his purpose; and losing that purpose was not something he wanted to relive. "In fact…" he began again, "Alphys, could you, like...save that song to my phone the next chance you get?"

Silence on the other end. Eventually, he heard Alphys mutter a surprised, "Oh! W-Well, uh...I don't...see why not…?"

"Thanks. See you around."

"N-No problem! Bye!" Frisk smiled in silent relief as he hung up before he looked back at Sans and Papyrus, who were, in turn, looking at him expectantly.

"Sorry about that, guys," Frisk said as they kept walking. "Scientific matters. Let's go home."

"NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH! EXCELLENT! IF WE HURRY," Papyrus declared, "I DO BELIEVE I'LL HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE A SPECIAL SPAGHETTI DINNER!" He immediately took off before Sans and Frisk with a cry of, "COME ON!" The other two only glanced at each other and grinned before Frisk charged after him, and Sans sighed contentedly and walked after them.

* * *

The studio was dark and quiet. Almost pitch-black, but not quite. The cameras had been shut off hours ago. The only movement was a yellow flower that had poked up through the floor and was glancing at the center of the stage. After a long time spent in silence, she sighed.

"Were you _always_ such an idiot…?"

* * *

A/N: Fuck me, this was supposed to be filler, but it turned into really _long_ filler. Was also gonna cover the music linked in the notes for visualization, but I couldn't get my voice to sound right. Maybe someday…

 _Music was made by Kamex; I claim no ownership over it. Lyrics were written by me._

 **Replies**

 **Shitty dog:** I could _totally_ do that, but one, I think we can all agree that PaciFrisk won't to kill another harmless living soul, no matter how annoying/smelly/useless they are. Two, if I _did,_ it'd make this the biggest literary blue-balls ever. Three, I believe that is Jerry is a universal constant. He may die, but he'll inexplicably reincarnated years later, simply because Jerry is, Jerry was, and Jerry will be.

 **offbrandbiscuit:** Glad to see you were looking forward to this chapter! And yeah, I have the whole system of magic worked out according to my own beliefs about the surface world of Undertale; it'll be expanded in the webcomic. When I get around to it. Hopefully.


	19. The Future of Humans and Monsters

A/N: Me - Alright, I'm gonna take a break from writing and treat myself with time off.

Also me - Uh I think the _fuck not_ you trick-ass bitch.

For real, this chapter was just a blast to work on, which is why I denied myself a break. I couldn't help it. Btw, do you folks like lost innocence and angst...? Oh, no, don't worry. There's none of that...

...In this chapter :))))))

* * *

The Future of Humans and Monsters

Papyrus had just finished both making and eating breakfast, and was crossing the living room to go outside and check the mail. Sans was far too lazy to ever do it himself, and Frisk...well, he was on the couch, asleep and still dressed in his Royal Guard recruit robes. The training session yesterday had run the child ragged, even without any murderous plants crashing the event. Papyrus couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor human; they didn't seem to have the same propensity for energy usage that Monsters had. Papyrus quickly tiptoed past him and slipped outside to find it was snowing. He glanced up and held out his palm and watched the flakes alight on his palm and melt away for a second before he turned his attention to the mailboxes.

He opened his own up to find nothing inside. "HMM. MY FAN LETTERS MUST BE ARRIVING MUCH LATER THAN USUAL," he muttered to himself. "AH, WELL! NO MATTER!" He slammed the lid of the mailbox shut and sidestepped over to check Sans' mailbox, though it was under new ownership. The three of them had decided fairly early on that it should be converted to Frisk's mailbox, since it was always full of spam and junk mail and Sans never bothered to clean it. Sans' name was still on it, but it had been crossed out, with "Frisk" written above in permanent marker. Papyrus opened it up to see several envelopes and he pulled them out and leafed through them. There was still junk mail in it, too, but Frisk was far better at cleaning it out than Sans was. He stopped at one, however, and quirked an eyebrow. "BLANK, EH…?" he puzzled. "VERY STRANGE."

Papyrus didn't dwell on it for very long, and instead turned around and walked back into the house. Sans had disappeared several minutes ago, which left him and Frisk as the sole occupants. He walked over to the trash can and tossed the spam letters in before he walked back to Frisk, knelt down beside the couch, and placed his hand on the child's shoulder. "HUMAN!" he called as gently as he could as he shook Frisk awake.

Frisk groaned a bit, then began to stir. Eventually, he opened one eye and slowly sat up. "Mmmf...hey, Papyrus. Mornin'."

"GOOD MORNING, FRISK! AND IT IS ESPECIALLY GOOD, BECAUSE YOU HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER!" he replied, a bit louder. He quickly righted himself and held out the unmarked letter that he'd found in the mailbox; Frisk recoiled slightly, his mind still addled by sleep, but he did take the letter after a moment. "IT...DOESN'T HAVE A RETURN ADDRESS. BUT! IT'S IN A PURPLE ENVELOPE THAT SMELLS OF LAVENDER, SO THAT MUST BE GOOD!"

Frisk rubbed some of the sleep from his eyes and focused a bit more. The envelope was purple and it definitely smelled like lavender, and just as Papyrus said, there was no return address. He shrugged and tore a piece off the upper-right of the envelope, stuck his finger into the hole, and tore it open the rest of the way. When he removed the paper inside, he found it was written on cream-colored stationary, and folded into thirds. He unfolded it and began to read the message silently to himself, but the further along he got, the more his eyes widened, until he stopped and let his arms flop onto his lap. "...HUMAN? ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?"

Papyrus' comment seemed to bring Frisk back to reality, as he blinked a couple times and shook his head before he looked up at Papyrus. He still didn't talk for a moment, but eventually, he bit his lip and said, "Um...it's from Asgore."

"REALLY?" Papyrus cried.

"Yeah," Frisk said as he looked back down at the letter. "He said he...wants to talk to me. In person."

"WOWIE! YOU'RE INCREDIBLY LUCKY! THE KING IS USUALLY KNOWN FOR WALKING AROUND OUTSIDE THE CASTLE AND CONVERSING WITH MONSTERS, BUT BEING INVITED IS A VERY DISTINCT HONOR!"

"I'm aware of that," Frisk muttered under his breath. He had no clue what Asgore wanted to talk to him about, but he could imagine it was going to come back to the Barrier at some point. And that was usually...pretty heavy material. "Papyrus…?"

The lanky skeleton glanced down at him with a wide, understanding smile, and Frisk continued, "You won't be jealous if I go by myself, will you? I mean, I don't think Asgore would _object_ if you came with me, but...I have the feeling he's gonna wanna talk to me about some adult-level stuff one-on-one."

"OF COURSE NOT!" Papyrus replied instantly. He did pause and put a thoughtful hand over his chin and began to rub it. "ALTHOUGH, I HAVE TO WONDER WHY KING FLUFFYBUNS WOULD TALK ABOUT ADULT STUFF WITH YOU, SEEING AS YOU ARE NOT AN ADULT. I THINK."

"That's true, but I _am_ the only human in the Underground with the last SOUL needed to break the Barrier. I think that warrants some really deep conversation," Frisk answered.

"THIS IS TRUE," Papyrus said, "IN WHICH CASE! I! WILL HOLD DOWN THE FORT RIGHT HERE UNTIL YOU GET BACK!"

Frisk smiled gently, and tossed the covers off him as he pushed himself to his feet. "Thanks, Papyrus."

In response, he grinned proudly and puffed out his chest as his scarf began to blow in a nonexistent breeze. "NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH! NO NEED TO THANK ME! JUST GET READY AND IMPRESS THE KING WITH YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM OF ADULT MATERIAL!"

"Yeah, I...guess I'd better get moving." He probably wasn't going to notice Papyrus' poor choice of phrasing in "adult material" until much later, when his mind was so groggy. Maybe. Frisk began to walk over to the stairs before he stopped and asked, "...Should I wear my guard robes, or would that be too formal?"

* * *

One wardrobe change and a long, long walk later, and Frisk found himself standing in front of the entrance to Asgore's castle. He'd taken the route he was most familiar with, that led him directly to the castle walls and inside from there. He knew it was correct because he could see the glowing star of a SAVE point right in front of him, though...he thought it strange. It seemed to be losing its intensity. He shrugged and opted to not worry about it for now, and simply walked forward and into the castle entrance.

He was immediately greeted with the scent not that dissimilar to Toriel's house, but with more sourgrass flowers and less cinnamon-butterscotch. Yet, he heard nothing else. "Hello?" he called. When no one responded, he called again, "Asgore…?"

Frisk didn't hear the king respond; he didn't hear _anyone_ respond, but he noticed the chain that usually kept him barred from the throne room was gone, completely. He stared at the empty space for a couple moments before he marched forward and down the steps, deeper into the castle. He walked the path he had so often walked before, but now it was empty. Quiet. Desolate. Even the music he could hear so clearly in his head whenever the Monsters recounted their tale of loss did not play. There was only the wind to keep him company.

Eventually, he turned the corner and entered the Judgement Hall. It looked the same as it always did, with light turning deep orange-red as it filtered through the stained-glass windows. Frisk glanced up at them as he walked, but he found the longer he went on, the heavier and heavier his steps became. He blinked. He could feel something trying to break through the defenses he had erected around his heart, the emotions he'd felt before. He swallowed hard as he saw three pillars approaching, and his footsteps slowed to a crawl. His heart was pounding in his ears. Frisk swallowed again and squeezed his eyes shut, not fearing if he ran into anything (as the hall was already a straight shot to the end) as he felt the thudding of his heart grow louder and more intense by the second. Something was worming its way out. He remembered the feeling.

The feeling of fear.

Frisk swallowed again and immediately shoved the thoughts from his mind, and opened one eye. Sans was nowhere in sight and he could see the doorway out to his left, and he ducked through it as fast as he could; almost immediately, his heart rate slowed, and the tightness in his throat disappeared. He was able to breathe easy for a moment before he forced himself to keep walking ahead, and thankfully, it didn't take much longer until he found the entrance to the throne room. The old SAVE point was still there, as he expected, but much like before, Frisk didn't bother to SAVE. He paused only a moment before he stepped through the threshold and into the throne room to find everything as he remembered it: Asgore's throne somewhere in the center of the room, Toriel's old throne covered up in the back, the ground covered in sourgrass flowers...

And Asgore standing over to his left. He wasn't watering the flowers, though. He wasn't doing any gardening at all, actually, only staring out the windows. Frisk remained frozen in place, staring at the broad-shouldered Boss Monster for a moment before he debated coughing to get his attention. He didn't need to, as Asgore suddenly turned toward the entrance and jumped in surprise when he saw Frisk standing there.

There was a tangible silence in the air for a few moment before Asgore coughed awkwardly and said, "Golly, I didn't think you'd get here so quickly…" Frisk didn't really know how to respond, but thankfully, Asgore kept talking and saved him from the uncomfortable silence. "Oh, goodness, completely forgetting my manners…" He cleared his throat and said, "Howdy! I am Asgore Dreemurr, ruler of the Kingdom of Monsters. I'm glad you decided to come here...Frisk, was it?"

Frisk remained silent for a moment before he muttered, "...Yeah. And no problem," in reply.

Asgore's face seemed to fall a bit, but he turned back to look out the windows again, and the light partially obscured his face. Frisk stood still where he had been, unsure of how to proceed, before Asgore spoke again. "Do you, um...want some tea? I...imagine it would be easier to talk if we had refreshments, perhaps."

"...Sure."

Asgore smiled. It was weak and not very convincing, but Frisk didn't get to linger on it much as he walked toward the entrance, and Frisk stepped out of his way and then followed him back out of the throne room and down the hall. After a couple moments, Frisk grabbed on to his cape. It was a leftover reaction he'd picked up from what little time he'd spent on the surface; whenever he and Asgore were out, he'd instinctively grabbed his hand.

It didn't take long for Asgore to notice Frisk had latched on to him, but despite the obvious surprise on his face, he didn't stop or slow down. They walked along the path, through the Judgement Hall and back across the battlements of the castle. Frisk was surprised; he didn't feel as bad with someone else at his side. Maybe that was just indicative of his mental state, in which case, it was _really_ pathetic. They trudged up the stairs that led back to the comforting, homely component of the castle, and Frisk absentmindedly cast a sideways glance down the hall, where the kids' and Asgore's room was. The presents inside were still probably unopened, and the ink in his journal was still probably wet. Denial was the greatest defense of normalcy and the worst enemy of comfort.

The two of them entered the living room, and Asgore looked down at Frisk before he said, "I will prepare the tea, and while we wait for it to boil, we can talk. How does that sound?"

"Sounds okay," Frisk said.

Asgore gave him another smile, equally as weak, before he disappeared into the kitchen. Frisk let his cape slide out of his hands and he went over to the table and had a seat at one end. Asgore came back out a couple minutes later and sat down right next to him, and unfortunately for the both of them, the awkward silence returned. Eventually, Asgore brought a closed fist to his mouth and cleared his throat again. "To, um, tell you the truth, human," he began, "I was...originally going to fight you when you eventually entered my castle."

Another pause. "I guessed as much," Frisk replied.

"I had been hearing rumors," Asgore continued at length, "that a human had fallen down. And I knew that when they approached me in my home, I would have to fight, no matter the outcome. No matter who killed who." Frisk kept silent and listened. "But then you never came, and I had time to think."

"About what, if you don't mind?"

Asgore rolled his eyes up and leaned on the table, his head propped up on his fist. "About...a law I passed, a long time ago. Long before you were born," he explained. "I told the kingdom that all humans who fell down were to be killed." Frisk let him talk. "Their SOULs forfeit to break the Barrier. We would need seven...and you...you would be the seventh."

Frisk nodded solemnly, and there was another pause before Asgore added in a more plain tone, "...But I...imagine you've heard this already?" Frisk nodded again, slower than last time.

Asgore seemed ready to say something else, but the sound of a whistling tea kettle sidetracked his thoughts. He took one last glance at Frisk before he quickly got up and went back into the kitchen. Frisk waited patiently, and he returned carrying the kettle and two teacups with saucers. Asgore set all the kitchenware down on the table and placed one cup in front of him and one in front of Frisk. He motioned to the kettle itself, inviting Frisk to have the first drink, which he accepted. When he was done, Asgore poured his own cup and blew on it gently. Frisk did likewise, but didn't wait as long for it to cool.

"Hmm. Adventurous, I see," Asgore chuckled as he watched Frisk take short sips from the cup. He glanced at Asgore and nodded once in response. "Ah...I remember being at that age. But golly, it was a long time ago…" They continued to drink their tea in silence for a few more minutes; the aroma seemed to lessen the tension. Asgore said, "I...tell you this because I've...decided on a different course of action. I've decided that...maybe I should leave the Barrier in your hands." Frisk continued to drink his tea and let Asgore keep talking. "After all, I...I have lived for...thousands of years. And I also heard how some Monsters have grown very attached to you in the time you've been here, and if you were to cross the Barrier, you would need a Monster's SOUL as well as your own." Frisk took another sip of tea and nodded. It prompted Asgore to chuckle dryly. "Ha, ha. I...apologize if this is too much information for you to handle. But…" He trailed off and fixed his eyes on Frisk, and he could see the king's gaze soften. "But I feel like you understand already."

Frisk remained quiet for a moment, but he did crack a small smile and a chuckle. "Yeah. You'd be surprised."

Asgore's face seemed to light up a bit more at that comment. "Ha, ha. Golly, you sound just like…"

And almost immediately, the smile and optimism were gone. Asgore's brow sunk and his eyes seemed to lose their luster. He kept his eyes on Frisk for another moment before he slowly looked away and the words died in the silence. Frisk felt his lungs shriveling up inside too, and he tentatively asked, "Are...you okay, Your Majesty?"

The glare he got from Asgore was enough to make him forget that he was almost always a gentle giant; he saw fire flare in the king's eyes and realized that he'd _never_ seen Asgore get angry in front of him before, even for a few seconds, because almost as soon as his gaze began to bore a hole through his head, it disappeared. "Please…" he began slowly, "do not call me that. 'Asgore' will suffice."

"Sorry…" Frisk squeaked, shrinking under Asgore's gaze.

He heard Asgore breathe in deeply before he muttered, "It's all right. I apologize for scaring you. I know you were just trying to be polite." They both remained at the table and slowly kept drinking their tea with nothing but the _tick-tock-tick_ of the clock on the wall to remind them that time still existed and they were not stuck inside a liminal space. Eventually, even the tea kettle began to grow cold, and Frisk was left staring at his empty cup as he tried to think of conversation topics that _wouldn't_ end up mentally scarring them both. Unfortunately, Asgore spoke up before he could come to any conclusions.

"Human…?" Frisk tentatively looked up from his cup of golden-flower tea. "Do you want to know something?"

"...What…?"

"I had two children, once."

Frisk squeezed his eyes shut. _Oh, no._

He wanted to tell Asgore he couldn't stay any longer, but some mix of anxiety and morbid curiosity bid him to remain rooted to the spot as Asgore explained, "My first child, my daughter...she was the oldest. I named her...Asriel."

Frisk felt his heart hammering in his ears again.

"She was just like Toriel. Caring, playful, always saw the best in people, and one day…" He trailed off, and slowly brought his head up to stare a thousand yards beyond the wall. "One day, we heard her calling for help, and when we came to look, we found her carrying...a human. She said their name was Chara. They were badly injured...Asriel said they had fallen...and we did everything we could to nurse them back to health. And...since Chara was trapped underground now, we adopted them, and…"

He stopped short and Frisk saw him grit his teeth. He was desperately trying to ignore the massive headache he was getting. Mist was starting to form at the edges of Asgore's eyes. "And they were rather aloof at first, but after a few years, they warmed up to us. Especially to Asriel. Chara became the best friend Asriel never had, and when that happened…"

For the first time since he arrived, Asgore smiled. Not a weak, half-hearted smile. No, his face shone. "They became the shining star of the Underground. They were _brilliant."_

Frisk sniffled as quietly as he could. "But…" Asgore's face sunk just as quickly as it had been raised to happiness. "But it didn't last. A few years after New Home was built, Chara...Chara fell ill." Asgore squeezed his eyes shut and a few small tears leaked out. "We don't know what happened to them, but Toriel...Toriel and I tried _everything_ we could to heal them. But nothing...nothing worked. And the only consolation that kept me going was the knowledge that it couldn't get any worse..." He paused and stared back down into his cup of tea, three-quarters empty. "Oh, what a fool I was."

Frisk bit his lip and tried not to imagine what Asgore said next too vividly, but it was just no use. "I...remember...We were out, trying to find a medicine that would...ease our child's suffering. It had been at least...two hours, with no luck. As we walked down one of the main streets, I became aware that the city was being lit up with white light, and I turned around to see…" His voice suddenly became hoarse and he coughed violently a couple times before he found the strength to continue. "...An emergency flare sailing through the sky above the castle. Tori…" He stopped and corrected himself. "My wife and I stared at each other in a panic, and...I remember running through the streets as fast as I could. I turned corners, I was...shoving other Monsters out of the way in a blind panic. I...I don't know how long it took me to get back to the castle. All I know is that by the time I had made it back to the front entrance, my legs were on fire and begging me to stop. But I could not. I charged through the entire castle, all the way up to the throne room. I threw the door open and I…" Asgore forced himself to stop again; Frisk was covering his head with his arms and staring down into his lap. He could feel the tears falling on his shorts. "And I saw Chara's body lying next to a pile of dust. I never knew what happened, but I declared a war of vengeance on humanity for everything they had taken away from me. And in the end, all it did was take Toriel away from me, as well."

Finally, Asgore heard what sounded like a dying man face the reality he would never see his loved ones again. There was a loud, congested, choked sob coming from the left and he whipped his head around to see Frisk shaking uncontrollably. Asgore reached out toward the child, but Frisk pushed himself back and jumped out of his chair and dashed out of the living room and out the front door. Asgore, stunned to silence, found the strength to move and follow Frisk outside after a couple minutes.

By then, he was already gone.

* * *

Frisk didn't know how long he'd spent running away, only that he needed to. Right now, he just wanted some peace and quiet, and some time to clear his head. Hearing one retelling of Asriel's story was sad enough; hearing the personal side went above and beyond heartbreaking.

He wiped his face on his sweater sleeve again, the tears staining it though and through. He looked up and around. He'd entered Waterfall not too long ago to clear his head, as it _was_ the most peaceful place in the Underground. He was inside a long, natural cavernous corridor, and had been walking through it for several minutes. He blinked some tears away, wiped his eyes again, and kept walking. It was quiet, and Frisk didn't stop until he came to the cave's mouth and was surprised to find a bin full of umbrellas waiting there. He blinked a couple times and glanced out of the cavern to see rain falling from above. He furrowed his brow, looked into the bin, and pulled out an umbrella and opened it up.

When he left the cave, he found himself on a ledge much like the one he crossed a thousand times before, except he couldn't see Asgore's castle from here; the horizon only expanded toward hundreds of tiny gems, twinkling like stars on the ceiling. Frisk looked at them all, hanging up there, and the more he looked, the more he slowed his pace, and the more he wondered. Eventually, he stopped...and sat down. His legs hung over the ledge, and he stayed there, gazing up at the faux stars. They shone down, but cast no light, for gems only reflected it. They were no substitute for stars. And Frisk couldn't help but wonder...was he nothing more than a shining gem? Something that only reflected light, and did not create its own? He sighed and lowered his head as the rain from above trickled off the top of his umbrella. No matter what he tried, the pain was always eating away at him, a phantom from a life long gone. It was then, however, that Frisk suddenly got a familiar feeling in his gut; the feeling he was not alone. He turned his head to the left and saw only the path that led away, and then turned to the right and saw Flowey poking out of the ground next to him.

She wasn't posturing. She didn't immediately try to attack him. All she did was shake her head and mutter, "I don't _get_ you."

Frisk remained silent until the surprised expression on his face melted away to a defeated smile. "If it's any consolation, I don't get me, either."

She paused to slowly look up at Frisk before she replied, "Regretting your choices, eh?" Flowey grinned callously. "Maybe you should take a page out of _my_ book. Get yourself a new moral compass."

Frisk scoffed, though he didn't want to sound (completely) crude. "Your moral compass is a freaking roulette wheel on the _best_ of days." Flowey rolled her eyes and they both went quiet and gazed out across the darkness. The gems continued to sparkle against the blackness. After a few moments, Frisk asked, "So...why are my insides not on the outside right now? Or is that on a need-to-know basis?"

"Hey, first of all," she articulated, "I can _not_ kill you on sight. I'm not a _slave_ to my desires, and I can keep you alive if I want to."

"As long as it serves your own ends, of course," Frisk jabbed back.

He was met with a wide grin. "See, _now_ you're getting it."

Frisk only made a light scoff as he went back to stargazing. He looked over and noticed that Flowey was getting drenched by the rain. "Hey." She abruptly cocked her head to give him a suspicious sideways glance. "You're getting soaked. C'mere," he said as he pointed at the ground right next to him.

Flowey paused for a minute and then scowled at him. "Um, ex _cuse_ me…?" she huffed. "You think I'm just gonna sidle up to you because you think I'm uncomfortable? Well, here's a newsflash: I'm used to the rain, and I don't care."

In response, Frisk picked himself up and inched himself over until the both of them were under the umbrella. "Well, too bad. Shut up and deal with it."

He half-expected Flowey to growl at him, and the other half expected to get grabbed by a vine and chucked off the ledge like a baseball. Neither of those happened, but he didn't trust himself enough to look over at her and gauge her expression. Luckily, he didn't need to wait long. "...You _realize_ I could skewer you _at least_ seven times before you finally die, right?"

"And yet, my head is squarely on my shoulders."

"Is that a _challenge?"_ she hissed.

"...Do you want it to be?"

Frisk honestly didn't know how Flowey was going to respond until he heard her mutter, "You _must_ have brain damage."

"I don't," Frisk responded. Then he chuckled. "At least, I don't think so. I just trust you a lot more than you think."

" _Trust_ me…?" Flowey froze for a second before she went right back to being bitter. "Ah, so _now_ the truth comes out," she spat as Frisk looked over at her. "You _really_ think you can bring _her_ back, huh? By what? Being nice to me and hoping I _magically_ grow a SOUL…?"

"No sense in not trying," he admitted plainly.

"For the hundred-millionth time!" Flowey hissed. "I. Can't. Feel. Love. At all! Asking me to love someone, _anyone..._ is like someone asking _you_ not to breathe." Her mouth suddenly spread into a manic grin as she jeered, "Can't do it! Ha ha ha…!"

Frisk glanced away for a moment to think and replied, "So if you love anyone for more than sixty seconds, you'll pass out?"

Flowey's grin quickly subsided and she gritted her teeth. "Don't be a smartass."

"Sorry," he replied with a small smile. "Being smart's pretty much the only way I'm coping right now.

"'Coping?' What the hell do you need to cope with?" Flowey growled at him. Frisk immediately regretted opening his mouth and deigned not to answer. Instead, he turned his gaze back out across the chasm at the foot of the cliff. Flowey followed his gaze for a moment before his deafening silence clued her in, and she started to understand. "Oh. I see…"

"...Flowey, don't."

"You're not regretting the choices _you_ made. You're regretting the choices a _different_ you made," she quipped.

"Okay, that's enough," Frisk repeated.

"Admit it, you thought I forgot. You thought I wasn't going to revisit the one time you decided to follow my instructions."

She didn't notice his sharp inhalation and the way his face was twisting. "You can shut up now, Flowey," he deadpanned.

"But wasn't it _fun?"_ Flowey leaned over slightly as another wicked smile crossed her face. "The rush of battle. The feeling of _power_ when you watch them crumble to dust in front of your eyes..." As she talked, her stem began to extend and worm its way up through the air until her face was almost level with Frisk's head. "Knowing that _nothing_ can stand in your way?"

At the exact moment she finished talking, Flowey suddenly felt uncomfortably constrained as Frisk's left hand shot out and wrapped around the top of her stem, just below the face to keep her still. His right hand even dropped the umbrella, though it seemed to be unsure of what to do for a couple seconds before Frisk made it settle on the ground as he roared, **"I** _ **TOLD**_ **YOU TO SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!"**

No matter if one has only love or only hate in their souls, fear is a universal constant. Flowey's face got significantly whiter, and as her eyes twitched around, she looked beyond Frisk at the cave mouth at the end of the path and began to struggle. And it was then, Frisk realized, he'd come too close to darkness the second time and promptly let go of Flowey, who immediately wriggled into the silt beneath them and disappeared. Frisk was left bent over where she had just been, still holding his left hand up and grasping the ghost of someone's neck; after a minute of holding back his tears, he forced himself to sit on the ledge, in the rain, alone...at least until he saw some movement from the cave on his left. When he glanced, over, he saw a skeleton, wearing a blue hoodie, and the familiar sight made him turn around, step away from the ledge, and stand up.

"Sans…?" It was Sans all right, but he also looked...different. His shoulders were sagging. His eyes, normally so uniform, seemed to bend at the outer edge, making him look tired, even though he retained his grin. Frisk furrowed his brow and picked up the umbrella he dropped, and held it up like a shield. "Sans, what's going on…? You're scaring me."

In response, Sans picked his head up to look Frisk in the eyes, and some of his normal demeanor returned. "whoops. sorry kid," he said. "searched the whole underground for ya, and now i'm _dead_ tired. won't ask about whatever blowout you got into with the weed, just wanted to let you know."

Frisk frowned more intensely and asked, "...Let me know what?"

Sans paused, and closed his eyes and bent his head forward. All they could hear was the water falling from the cavern ceiling and splashing the silt below them. Then, slowly, Sans picked his head up again, and said plainly, "that it's done."

He blinked a couple times. "...What's done?" Sans didn't answer Frisk's question; he only pulled his hands out of his pockets and remained still. And little by little, Frisk realized. And when he did, his eyes widened and his pupils shrunk.

Sans' grin seemed to grow and he held out his hand. "c'mon. i know a shortcut back to snowdin."

* * *

Frisk felt himself rocketed through a vacuum for a few seconds before he felt it was safe to open his eyes again, and he saw a narrow passage of land behind a wood cabin. He recognized it immediately. "Your lab…?" he whispered breathlessly.

Sans nodded once. "yup." He immediately took another few steps forward before waving Frisk along, and he followed without hesitation. They approached a door that was hidden almost too well and after a pause, Sans gestured to it, indicating Frisk do the honors of opening it up. He glanced up at Sans, only somewhat nervous, and then laid his hands on the knob and pushed it open.

The lab was dark, but Frisk walked down the steps that led in with no trouble and Sans followed after once he closed the door. When he reached the bottom of the steps, all the lights turned on at once, and after his eyes adjusted, Frisk saw…

"Alphys...?"

She was standing next to a giant machine, covered in a tarp, which she held in her claws. Before Frisk could ask what was going on, she yanked on the tarp and it flew off in one swift motion, revealing what was below. The machine was built like an inflated igloo, a ten foot dome with a small entrance outcrop. Frisk could barely see inside, but there were definitely a lot of lights and intricate machinery. The longer he stared at it, the more he realized that this machine was going to work. He realized Gaster wasn't too far away anymore. And that, in turn, meant…

His knees began to tremble, and Frisk fell to the ground as tears began to fall from the corners of his eyes. He cried, quietly, and mostly to himself before Sans strode up behind him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "So…is this..." Frisk blubbered. He coughed abruptly and hoisted himself back upright and looked at Sans hopefully. "Is _this_ where you've been disappearing to over the past few days?"

"yup," he replied. "just me and alphys here, busting our butts to get the stupid gate working." He looked back down at the glistening trails left on Frisk's cheeks and chuckled. "geez, frisk, what's with the waterworks? if anyone around here should be doing any crying, it'd be me. besides..." his smile fell a little bit as he added, "we got good news and bad news."

That was enough to get Frisk to stop being sad for a moment. "What…?"

Sans, in response, gestured to Alphys. "go ahead, alph," he said.

"Oh, uh, right!" Alphys cleared her throat and explained, "Well, the good news is that, yes, Sans and I were able to get his, uh…"

"shrouding gate."

 _"Shrouding Gate_ working again. All our simulations indicate it should work just fine." She paused and bit her lip. "But that's the thing. We can _only_ run simulations, because powering this thing would take more energy than we currently have _anywhere_ in the Underground."

There was more silence before Frisk tentatively asked, "You...you can't, like...hook this thing up to the...I dunno, the CORE or somethin'?"

Alphys only gave a remorseful look and shook her head. "Mmm-mm. Even if we _could,_ my projections indicate the Shrouding Gate would need...a-at least ten times the energy contained in the CORE just to _start up."_ She sighed and looked over at the Shrouding Gate itself. When she and Sans had begun to repair it, the metal girders were rusted, broken in some places, the sheet metal they used to encase the machine's interior was mostly nonexistent, and they had to scrounge for parts in the dump and repurpose some equipment from the true Royal Lab. She turned back to Frisk and added, "B-But we're working on a way to store up enough energy to start up the Gate and keep it running for a few minutes. The problem is…" She sucked a weary breath in through her teeth and muttered, "It just may take...anywhere from fifty to...about two-hundred years…"

Frisk had been hanging on every word Alphys said, and when she explain the situation fully, he deflated and slowly turned around, trudged over to a wall, and slammed his body against it. He slid down to the floor slowly and made no effort to talk. Sans and Alphys watched him, and eventually she turned to Sans; he just shrugged and walked over to Frisk and knelt down beside him in an effort to bestow some form of comfort. Alphys sighed and walked back to the counter in the back of the room and picked up a remote control off of it, something she and Sans had been used to control and test the Shrouding Gate. Silence reigned for several minutes, but in that time, as his emotions got under control again, Frisk had time to think. He pushed himself off the wall and sat correctly upon the floor as he watched Alphys work and watched the Shrouding Gate sit there. Eventually, he asked, "So, what you're saying is, we don't have enough power to run the Shrouding Gate right now," to whoever would listen.

Alphys paused a moment, but then went back to tuning the controls. "Yes," she affirmed.

Frisk crossed his arms and leaned back into the wall. "So...what if we had a human SOUL?" he asked. "Would _that_ have enough power in it to keep the machine going?"

Alphys and Sans instantly turned their attention to Frisk, then they hesitantly looked at each other. "well, kid, i gotta admit, that's a pretty good workaround," Sans replied, "but i don't think asgore will be too happy with you stealing one of his hard-earned souls for some...mad science experiment."

Frisk said nothing. Sans' grin flattened out slightly the longer he looked at him. "frisk…?" He looked up at Sans in response. There was...something in his eyes; not tears, something more emotional, but Sans couldn't tell what it was until he explained himself.

"I...never _said_ we had to take one of the human SOULs from Asgore."

The reality took a moment to sink in. When it did, Sans' eyes widened and, in a rather un-Sans-like display, he jumped to his feet and dashed over to the front of the Shrouding Gate, to the component that led inside. "oh, _hell_ no." He spread his arms out to cover the hole up and stated, "i don't care if we're stuck waiting for this thing to charge for a thousand years, _your_ life isn't worth the risk."

"Sans, I'm not saying I'm going to just _die_ to power the machine!" Frisk argued as he stood up, too. "There's _gotta_ be a way to, I dunno...hook me up to it so the Shrouding Gate and absorb energy through me! And Alphys said, it's gonna take a _lot_ of power to turn this thing on, and we all know by now that a SOUL with nothing but determination is stronger than all the other ones. What other options do we have, aside from waiting until we're all old and grey?"

Sans only remained in front of the entrance to the machine for a couple more minutes before Alphys coughed and interjected, "I-If you don't mind my input, um...Frisk _does_ have a point. Their SOUL _is_ laden with DT, a-and if what you told me about alternate timelines is true, then...well, then Frisk has probably built up a resistance to the stress of mental time travel, and powering up the Shrouding Gate...shouldn't be all that different." Sans looked from her back to Frisk. "A-And as a side-note," she added, "I _can_ figure out a way to hook you up to the Shrouding Gate to power it that way, if you're sure you want to try it, Frisk. Just a heads-up."

He smiled at Alphys, indicating he was sure. After another tense couple seconds, Sans' face sagged, and he dropped his arms. Frisk raised his brows and took a hesitant step forward before Sans said, "...okay. we'll give it a shot." He stepped out of the way, and gestured to the inside of the machine, and Alphys obliged by setting down the remote and hastily ducking inside. Frisk remained still for another minute to make sure Sans wasn't joking before he walked over and ducked his head down to avoid hitting it on the low overhang. But before he could enter the Shrouding Gate proper, he felt Sans slap his hand down on his shoulder, and when he turned to look into his eye sockets...he could see the fear quite plainly on his face. "you sure you know what you're doing, kid?"

"...Can't spell 'Frisk' without 'risk,' right?" he replied with a smile and a shrug.

More silence. Then, Sans scoffed once and seemed to resign himself to whatever fate decreed. Frisk smiled at him one last time before he entered the Shrouding Gate and followed Alphys. The machine wasn't big and he could see her just up ahead, doing what appeared to be some scans and rearranging a few wires. When she caught sight of him she smiled (weakly, of course), and said, "Oh, Frisk! Could you, um…" She trailed off and pointed at a couple metal handles placed on the back wall of the Gate. "Like, pull those out for me, please?"

"Uh, sure." Frisk carefully brushed passed her, trying not to trip on any wires or hit his head on whatever was sticking out of the interior walls, until he came to the two handles. They looked normal, but it was obvious why Alphys asked him to work with them in her stead: she was too short. He pulled them out after grunting a bit, and they came out with a very industrial-sounding _CHA-KUNK._

"Great!" Alphys exclaimed. "Now just rotate them downward."

Frisk did as instructed, and he heard the handles grind in their sockets. When they were both pointed down, some metal flaps popped open, equally spaced around the interior walls. Frisk looked around at them and saw that some wires had popped out from the holes the flaps were covering up, and they were tipped with pads. Alphys quickly went from one wire to the next, gathering them all up, until she had all seven, and came back to Frisk. "Now could you, um...kneel down?"

Frisk nodded without much hesitation, and Alphys checked over each wire as she stuck the padded end to Frisk; one on his left pectoral, one on the right, two on both sides of his neck, and the remaining four on both sides of his face. He blinked a couple times and as she stuck the last wire on, he asked, "Should...I be worried about getting a brain scan…?"

In spite of herself, Alphys laughed. "Oh, no, these wires are just...supposed to interface with an external power source, instead of the internal batteries it's supposed to use. They _should_ work on anything that has power that can be siphoned. I, uh, I guess Sans made them as a backup plan for situations just like this," she explained.

So he hadn't told her about Gaster. Frisk shrugged and figured he wasn't going to spring any surprises on her now, either. "Cool. Anything else I should do?"

After a quick look around, Alphys proudly replied, "Nope!" She smiled and turned around to exit before she stopped...and looked back at Frisk. "Um...by the way, I know you're, like, dead-set on doing this, but, um…" She trailed off and sighed. "The Shrouding Gate passes a lot of power through it to achieve the desired effect. Sans didn't tell me what exactly we're looking for, but I know whatever it is is important to him, and with the specifications we have for getting it, it might not come easy. You may be in here for several minutes, but the pain is going to make it feel like eternity."

Frisk was quiet and ruminated on her words for a moment before he replied flatly, "I've felt worse."

"No, I mean, like...you're going to have magical energy flowing through your body _constantly._ It's going to _hurt."_

"...Did I stutter?"

She seemed somewhat surprised by Frisk's rather brash defiance of both fate and pain. Alphys cleared her throat."...Alright. If you're sure." She walked away, but before she exited the insides of the Shrouding Gate, she added, "You, uh...may wanna sit down, though."

Frisk did as he was instructed. Outside, Sans was waiting for her, with the remote in hand, and she joined his side. "...is he ready?" Alphys nodded, and Sans sighed deeply. "okay. let's get this show on the road." He looked at the remote and pushed one of the buttons, and then began to turn one of the dials.

What Frisk felt next, he was not prepared for. Instead of nails being hammered into the back of his head, like he expected, he felt someone sticking needles directly into his heart. He gasped as he felt his throat tightening.

The Shrouding Gate began to hum, then drone, then it began to growl as lights began to spark to life across the exterior walls. The inside began to light up, too. Alphys watched in stunned silence, unable to look away from its awe-inspiring presence. Sans was unable to look away either, but instead because he knew that whatever happened to Frisk was on his hands. He looked back down at the remote, and knew that if he clicked the blue button in the lower-right corner, the machine would activate fully and he wouldn't be able to shut it down without using a manual override. But with no other options, he pressed it down.

Almost immediately, the air was penetrated by screaming, coming from inside the machine. Frisk could feel something in his chest trying to punch its way out, and that, in turn, was causing blood to pump faster through his body, hammering in his head. His brain screamed, and he echoed that feeling in the physical world. The Shrouding Gate buzzed, sizzled, and sparked. The lights on the outside were blinking rapidly, but on the inside, it had turned blazing white.

Alphys remained transfixed until she heard Sans say, in a voice so deadpan it actually unnerved her, "if the tachyon anchor doesn't activate in the next five seconds, i'm shutting the thing down."

She turned back to look upon their work. Frisk's screaming had intermingled with the roaring of the circuitry and hydraulics. Everything was on fire for him; his mind, his body, his soul. This pain was truly like nothing he had ever felt. He could feel the cells in his body being torn apart, he could feel his own SOUL being pummeled and shattered by the myriad of magical energies coursing through his body at once. His determination alone was what was keeping him alive by simply refusing to die after getting so far, but even as it healed itself, magic was pouring over it like saltwater on a fresh scar. Frisk tried to keep his eyes open, but all he saw was white...for a moment. Suddenly, he could see things. He saw the path into the Ruins, the steps that led to Asgore's castle, the Royal Lab, the twisting halls of the CORE, Judgement Hall, the garbage dump, Napstablook's house...he even saw his home with all the other Monsters on the surface. But he also saw, in between all these flashes, things he did not understand:

A castle in the shape of Asgore's, but twisted and drenched in crimson red. A field of stars that grew like the Echo Flowers he knew so well. A different house on the surface that he still knew was his...but not personally his own. He saw a small town in an autumnal forest filled with dozens of Monsters, but only one human. He could see all these things and more, even through the pain, until it all went dark. And out of that dark, came something different.

It was humanoid, but not human; not even close. It was made of a glittering crystalline substance, broken, shattered in several places, its head completely broken open and the right forearm completely detached from its shoulder. It was only connected by glittering tendrils of stardust, and its left arm seemed to be budding at the wrist like a flower in the spring. Crystals all sprouting off its body, and broken open in some places, and yet, it didn't seem to be in pain. But the most prominent feature was the face, with three eyes arrayed in a triangular formation and its lack of mouth. Two eyes with deep blue sclera, and its pupils milk-white, haloed by streaks of more white light surrounding them. The third eye on its forehead was completely different, perfectly symmetrical and colored like a normal human eye, if not unblinking. And then without speaking, he heard its voice:

" _You have abused your power, dear child. For every minute you have spent in this place is a minute of happiness that you have robbed from an entire kingdom. You make yourself a god among mortals out of a compulsive desire for perfection. But do not mistake our intentions; we are not heartless. We, too, desire an end to this tale of senseless woe, like yourself. However...is it truly perfection you want? Do you truly wish to right the wrongs of the past? Do you truly believe your goals will bring you peace? Then, dear child, you must prove it. You will pay dearly, but not in tears; they teach nothing but self-pity. Instead, pay in the scars you have left upon your own heart, for only through suffering is the soul cleansed. Then, dear child, perhaps your wish will be granted, but the pursuit of it must come of your own volition. But we believe that if you survive what must come next...you will earn the peace you desire._

 _This is our will."_


	20. Hell's Eyes: The Hand That Feeds

Hell's Eyes: The Hand That Feeds

⸢ ⸣

He opened his eyes one last time to see the light shining down from the surface. Frisk sighed and blew loose hair out of his face before he sat up, trying to ignore the pain. He was going to have so many back problems later on in life. _So_ many. He stood up and began searching the room, even though he knew by now that there was nothing of worth that would help him in his mission. Never hurt to check, though, right?

 _Oh, who am I kidding?_ he thought, pressing his palm to his forehead. _I'd have better luck bashing my head into a wall._ He grunted in displeasure and turned around and walked under the archway. _Let's get this over with._ He walked up to the patch of grass in the circle of light and stopped in perfect sync with Flowey popping out of the ground.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!" she introduced herself. "Hmm. You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha? Golly, you must be _so_ confused."

Frisk resisted the urge to snort in disdain. "Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! Guess little old me will have to do." She leaned forward. "Ready? Here we go!"

He felt himself confined to the same area again. She did her whole introduction and sent some friendliness pellets his way. He wove around them all. Flowey's expression became somewhat amused. "Hey buddy, you missed them. Let's try again, okay?" Flowey conjured more pellets and Frisk dodged them all. Her expression slipped into frustration. "Is this a joke? Are you braindead?" she cried. **"Run. Into. The. Bullets!"**

"...'Friendliness pellets.'"

Frisk shook his head. He kind of wished he could grab his stick and smack her. Really hard. Right on top of the head. When the next volley came, he dodged them all, too. Flowey's grin became nightmarish; Frisk didn't even so much as flinch. _"You know what's going on here, don't you?"_ she hissed. _"You just wanted to see me_ suffer." The ring of bullets appeared around him. Frisk refrained from blinking. **"Die."**

Before they could close in, a warm glow appeared behind Flowey, and she froze for a moment before the fireball hit her, yelped in pain, and ducked back into the ground. Toriel was right behind her, where she always was. She approached and said, "What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth." She turned to look down at Frisk and continued, "Ah...do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs."

She must not have noticed his blank stare.

Toriel turned and left the room and this time, Frisk delayed moving for half a second before he sighed nonchalantly and followed to the steps that led deeper into the Ruins. He didn't even stop at the SAVE point. In the next room was, as he expected, the same pressure plate puzzle, all in the same places. As expected.

"Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins," Toriel said as she gestured to the pressure plates beside her, and walked over four of them before throwing the switch on the back wall. The closed door behind her slid open. "The Ruins are full of puzzles," she continued, "ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

When she disappeared through the door, Frisk sighed again. He could practically recite everything she said from memory by now, though he knew lapses may happen if he tried. To err was only human, after all. He trudged ahead and barely even took a sideways glance at the plaque on the wall.

 _Only the fearless may proceed._

 _Brave ones, foolish ones._

 _Both walk not the middle road._

Frisk entered the long hallway beyond and found Toriel waiting a few feet away from the south wall, like always. She explained, "To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches." She tilted her head slightly and smiled down on him. "Do not worry, I have labeled the ones that you need to flip." With that said, she turned and walked to the opposite end of the room as Frisk groaned to himself and dragged his feet over to the first switch. Reading signs was pointless by now. He had them all memorized. He flipped both switches and Toriel exclaimed, "Splendid! I am proud of you, little one. Let us move to the next room." With that said, she disappeared around the corner. Frisk only blinked once lethargically and followed in a fixed march.

It was like clockwork.

In the next room, he found Toriel standing a few paces in front of him, with the dummy behind her. He pursed his lips and shifted his weight to his left leg. "As a human living in the Underground," Toriel explained, "Monsters _may_ attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation."

Frisk snorted. It was too low for Toriel to hear. "However, worry not!" she continued. "The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict." She walked over to the door on the north side and said, "Practice talking to the dummy."

Frisk watched her walk away and he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Still, he wasn't one to admit what was wrong; it was virtually impossible to say, "Sorry I seem so depressed, I've just grown used to hearing you spout the same thing over and over and I'm killing myself on the inside by trying to rescue your long-dead daughter by forcing myself to loop time at will," without sounding utterly off his rocker. He glared at the dummy. The dummy did not glare back, because it had no eyes to see with, but all the same, Frisk felt constricted. He just…

He just wanted to give this thing a good, solid smacking.

Which he did, after taking out his stick and whacking the thing hard enough to tear the cloth and split it open. Needless to say, Toriel was quick to intervene. "Ahh, the dummies are not for fighting!" Frisk cast a quick aside glance at her. She was still smiling, weakly, and even her voice seemed to have trouble finding the firm tone to properly admonish him. All things considered, it was understandable...but no less annoying. "They are for talking! We do not want to hurt anybody, do we…?" The question lingered in the air until Frisk sighed deeply and let his shoulders relax. That seemed to be good enough for her. "Come now."

Frisk followed her into the next room, ignoring her query of if he knew how to solve its puzzle. Given the time he had been down here, he probably could have constructed a puzzle of his own that outmatched the spike bridge in sheer complexity.

...Admittedly, that wasn't saying much.

Before he could dwell on the matter any longer, he felt the world constrict and he found himself rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Froggit attacks you!

Frisk made an aside glance to the left and saw a Froggit hop towards him. He'd done this dozens...no, _hundreds_ of times. Every time it was the same: he wasted a turn and Toriel scared the thing away. But that wasn't what made his chest flare up so suddenly, or at least, that might have only been a small part of it. No, something else stirred in him.

He _really_ didn't like the way that dumb patch of sod was looking at him.

With the flick of his wrist, he took out his stick, wound up, and swung before he even knew what he was doing. And what's more, his backhand actually hit. The force alone sent the Monster reeling and knocked it to the ground, and before Frisk could properly process it, he saw the Monster's form waste away to dust that sank into a miserable pile.

You Won! You earned 10 EXP and 20 gold.

Your LOVE increased.

He wasn't surprised that he'd killed a Monster; he'd done it before, but only did so strategically, and more often than not, it was the major players he'd ended up killing. It never changed the fact he felt terrible after doing it, though. But he realized he'd just lashed out without thinking, and that had never happened _once_ before. And now…

Well, he couldn't really say he felt _bad._ The sucker had it coming.

He rounded the corner to join Toriel, leaving the dust where it lay and stopped just in front of her and she explained, "This is the puzzle, but…" She quickly glanced behind her and then back down at Frisk. "Here, take my hand for a moment."

Frisk held up his left hand, like he'd always done before, and she led him over troubled waters. Just like always. He could probably walk the path of spikes with his eyes closed. When they reached the end, she told him that puzzles seemed a little too dangerous for now, and promptly exited through the door. Frisk followed on, and when he stopped in front of her, she said, "You have done excellently thus far, my child." She had a rather subdued, rueful expression on her face. "However...I have a difficult request to ask of you…" She turned away from him and bit her lip. "I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this." Without hesitation, she took off down the corridor, and disappeared from sight.

Frisk didn't even blink. He followed her instructions and walked to the end of the room, and right on cue, she popped out from behind the marble pillar on his left. "Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you." She gestured to the stone column. "I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me." He subconsciously rolled his eyes again. "However, there was an important reason for this exercise," she continued, "...to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for awhile. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself." She obviously didn't _want_ to do that, if the tone of her voice was any indication, but after she thought for a minute, she seemed to have found a solution. "I have an idea. I will give you a Cell Phone." Toriel reached into one of the pockets of her robe and produced a small flip-phone, and handed it out to Frisk. He held out his hand and took it, almost robotically. "If you have a need for anything, just call," Toriel said. "Be good, alright?"

She left without another word, and Frisk was finally alone. And it let him ask himself...how long had he been at this? How long had he been retracing his old steps, just to be spit back out in the same place with no forward progress made? He groaned. It was deep, guttural, and tired. No matter what he did, it was always one of two options: no one is happy, or one person isn't happy. Both were, in his opinion, equally terrible. Frisk raised his arms and slapped them over his face and slowly dragged them down, massaging to help ease the tension in his muscles. After a few more minutes of this, he finally sat up. He'd been so engrossed in his moping, he hadn't answered the calls Toriel left for him, certainly not because he didn't want to, but because he just couldn't be asked. Not like anything was going to change, anyway.

 _Oh, my God._ He groaned as he massaged his eyes again and thought, _M_ _aybe it'll finally end. Maybe this'll be the one where I can leave all this behind and hang up my adventuring coat._

But, see, that was a lie, and he knew it. He'd exhausted almost every possibility he could think of and then some. Frisk rubbed his neck and he stood up and left the room. He got the same call from Toriel he always got when he decided to leave, and promptly hung up after she was done talking and grunted in displeasure. There was a Froggit, a SAVE point, and a bunch of leaves. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

Frisk sighed and began to walk over to the SAVE point, until he was unceremoniously interrupted by the feeling of the world growing narrow and stopped by a pair of Froggits. They croaked as they approached him.

Froggit hopped close.

For a moment, Frisk was quiet, and then he sighed defeatedly. _I can't even_ _get to my SAVE point without being interrupted,_ he thought. In all honesty, he was just glad he had the first turn; it gave him time to think, mostly about how he was going to make this interesting. He'd memorized attack patterns, memorized the sequence of ACTs he needed to Spare them. He'd memorized everything about them. And not just Froggits, he'd done that for almost _every_ Monster in the Underground. Frisk pursed his lips and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was literally _nothing_ he could do to make this more interesting.

...Unless...

Then he felt a new idea strike him and almost as suddenly, his eyes flickered over to the Monsters. Then he cautiously eyed the Froggits he was facing...and then looked down at his stick. Then he looked back up. Frisk licked his lips, took a deep breath...and then stepped forward and swung as hard as he could.

He heard the stick crack as it collided with one of the Froggits and he saw it stumbled back. Both Froggits croaked and sent some flies after him, which he managed to dodge with deft grace. Frisk swore to himself he would not be deterred and raised the stick again and swung. Another crack. The Froggit froze and began to shudder for a split-second before its form crumbled to dust.

Frisk dodged the next round of attacks with no trouble. When it was time, he repeated the same thing he had done twice before; he swung his stick, one turn after another. After the second swing, he watched the Froggit weakly croak and fall over before dissolving into dust.

You Won! You earned 6 XP and 4 gold.

He sighed deeply and shook his head. It was pitiable, really, if this was what he'd been reduced to. Mostly the pitiable part was him wasting time on useless mooks like this. Frisk slowly looked up at the ceiling of the Ruins, and he thought, and really _thought._ And soon, he reached an interesting conclusion:

If he couldn't find the _correct_ way to save Asriel, then what really mattered anymore?

He snapped himself back to reality after a couple minutes of pondering this new development in his thinking, and then reached out to SAVE his progress.

⭐Determination⭐

Frisk closed is eyes and breathed in deeply. When he opened them again, he felt new, renewed purpose coursing through his veins. He squinted and turned around; there was work to be done, and now that he knew things would change he swore to himself that nothing would get in his way. What was he, a superhuman if not a god? He held the Underground in the palm of his hand, and come what may, he could irrevocably change it. It wasn't like he couldn't rewind and work on fixing things again after this.

No doubt about it.

* * *

Frisk looked up. The Ruins loomed large over him; foremost was Toriel's house. He blinked once, slowly, before he lowered his head and pressed onward, right up until he heard Toriel's voice. "Oh, dear, that took longer than I thought it would." He saw her walk around the tree and was in the process of taking out her cell phone before she realized Frisk was standing there. She gasped and ran up to him. "How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?" She pressed her palm up to his cheek and soothed, "There, there. I will heal you."

He felt the wounds he'd suffered go away. Normally, he'd feel a bit happier to be at Toriel's house, but that euphoric sensation began to fade away bit by bit after his three-hundredth try.

The tension hung in the air for a moment before her eyes softened and she admitted, "I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this." She paused and continued, "Err...Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one!" With that, she turned around and walked back toward the towering structure beyond the old black tree. Frisk followed on, but not before stopping at the SAVE point in front of her house.

⭐Determination⭐

Toriel was waiting there, a big smile on her face. "Do you smell that?" Toriel asked. "Surprise! It is butterscotch-cinnamon pie!" Frisk remained unmoved. "I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here," she continued, "so I will hold off on snail pie for tonight. Here, I have another surprise for you." Toriel walked away, toward the rooms, and Frisk followed in lockstep. She stopped after she stood in front of an old door in the hallway to the right and said, "This is it…" Toriel then took his hand and led him the last few steps up to the first door down the hall. "A room of your own. I hope you like it!"

Frisk breathed in and tried to smile. Emphasis on "tried"; he looked more like he was trying to keep his composure after being subjugated to torturing for information, and he didn't meet Toriel's gaze. She didn't seem to notice as she raised her head and asked, "Is something burning…?" A second later, she turned and hurried away, calling back, "Um, make yourself at home!" Frisk only shot an aside glance at her without so much as moving his head an inch, and he pushed the door open. The room looked the same as it always had, and Frisk stepped inside, turned, and leaned into the door as he slowly closed it again.

He didn't jump into bed immediately, instead opting to stand in the center of the room and look around and wonder how many times he'd been in this exact spot before. He shrugged and let it go. After awhile and climbed into the bed and slept; it was a cold and dreamless sleep. When he woke up, he immediately tossed the covers off and rolled over to see a slice of pie on the floor. Frisk picked it up and placed it securely into his inventory. He wasn't going to eat it, at least for awhile. He exited and turned toward the living room at first...but he stopped himself and slowly glanced back toward Toriel's room. Frisk remained there for another few seconds before he walked to the back of the hall and looked in the mirror. He expected to look like a mess, with dust in his hair and on his sleeves. Surprisingly, he saw none, but as he gazed into the mirror he heard a voice, soft, almost indiscernible in the back of his head.

It's me, Chara.

Frisk blinked in surprise a few times before he focused on the mirror again; there was nothing staring back at him but his own reflection. He looked around carefully before he scurried back down the hall to get on with his work. He knew already that he had a little voice in his head that obviously didn't belong to him, but…

It couldn't be the first human, could it? Determined soul or no, humans stayed dead. They were _supposed_ to, anyway.

He entered the kitchen and immediately walked up to Toriel. She raised her head and glanced over her book at him. "Up already, I see?" she asked. "Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many books I want to share! I want to show my favorite bug-hunting spot." Toriel broke eye contact with him for a moment, as if she was sharing the most closely-guarded secret in the whole of the Underground. "I've also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you...but I have always wanted to be a teacher." Frisk said nothing. "...Actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising," Toriel continued. **"Still,"** she stated harshly, "I am glad to have you living here."

Frisk only lowered his head. "...I want to go home," he whispered.

"What? This...this _is_ your home now," Toriel stated. She _might_ have noticed he didn't meet her gaze, if she hadn't been starting to fret herself. "Um...would you like to hear about this book I am reading? It is called '72 Uses for Snails.' How about it?"

Frisk shook his head. "...I have to do something," she deadpanned. "Stay here."

Toriel got up and walked out of the room. Frisk did not. He stayed there for what felt like hours, but eventually worked up the strength to move again. To test himself, he entered the kitchen and looked around. The pie was still on the counter, and probably still warm. He approached a drawer, and heard a voice whisper:

Where are the knives.

He didn't run, but he did squint and left the kitchen soon after, walked to the stairs, and descended. Toriel was waiting for him, where she usually was. She didn't look at him as she said, "You wish to know how to return 'home,' do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground." Frisk deigned not to say anything. "I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again," she continued. "Now be a good child and go upstairs."

Toriel walked away without speaking any more again. Frisk waited, patiently, for another couple seconds before he followed. After a few more feet, he saw her again, still facing away from him. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate." Her voice sounded much more dour than before "I have seen it again and again. They come...They leave…" The next pause was longer than normal. "They die." She glanced over her shoulder ever so slightly to reveal her disdainful frown. "You naive child...If you leave the Ruins…" She trailed off and faced forward again before she said, "They... **Asgore...** Will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?"

When Frisk didn't answer, all she said was, "...Go to your room."

Toriel walked away again, down the hall, and disappeared into the shadows. Frisk followed her at length, and subconsciously adjusted the Toy Knife in his pocket. The blade was dull, but it still cut well...and Frisk knew by now that even dull plastic hurt as much as cold steel if swung hard enough. Despite knowing what would come next, he felt more...inconvenienced than anything else. Besides, she was under the impression that she knew what was best for him, and even if she didn't remember, he'd proved her wrong over a hundred times. Who did she think she was?

The answer was nothing.

Nothing but a cog in a cosmic machine.

Frisk caught up with Toriel, and she curtly addressed him. "Do not try and stop me. This is your final warning," she said as she walked away again, her chin held up and her eyes stone cold and focused ahead of her. Admittedly, Frisk didn't know how this was going to turn out; he was walking a whole new path, a path covered in dust, and his knowledge of the Underground might fail him at some point. It was unlikely, but still possible, and some part of him was doubtful because of it.

...The other part of him didn't come this far just to turn back.

Frisk marched ahead until he found Toriel standing in front of a large door, carved of purple stone and emblazoned with the Delta Rune. "You want to leave so badly? _Hmph._ You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this." She spun around, her dress flowing outward from the motion, and she pushed her hand outward as she did so. "Prove yourself…" She half-murmured. "Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."

Toriel blocks the way!

The world grew dark and his SOUL shuddered. Frisk opened his eyes and stared dead ahead and before the lilting music in his head had struck its eleventh note, he pulled out his knife, stepped forward, and swung.

It left a blurry streak in the air and Frisk sunk the knife into Toriel's side and pushed it all the way through. It left a gash in her robe from her left all the way across the center, and he saw her eyes go wide and her jaw hung open. All he did in response was step back and return his knife to his pocket and let his shoulders relax. Toriel was shuddering from the shock, and in a low, hoarse voice, she said, "Y...You...really hate me that much?" Her head dropped, as if she was trying to force herself to not fall over. "Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you here. Not you…" A manic grin spread across her face. Death was clawing at her neck. "But them!"

She finally collapsed to one knee, her smile now gone, but laughing bitterly all the same. In a span of seconds, her body began to dissolve and fade away until it was nothing more than dust, leaving only a small off-white, upside-down heart behind. It was shaking violently, and did so for another couple seconds before it cracked and shattered completely.

You Won! You earned 150 XP and 0 gold.

You LOVE increased.

Frisk had done nothing but watch it all unfold. He listened to the words she spoke to him and he heard nothing. He blinked a couple times and almost thought he felt a tear leaking out, but he knew that not even that could take center stage; he didn't have time to grieve. Frisk stepped forward and over the pile of dust and placed both hands on the exit. He pushed the doors open and the air that flowed through scattered Toriel's remains. Frisk didn't look back and focused on moving forward until he saw Flowey's familiar face pop out of the ground.

"Hahaha...you're not really _human,_ are you?" Flowey chortled. "No. You're empty inside. _Just like me._ In fact…" She leaned forward again to get a good look at Frisk before her grin came back and she said, "You're Chara, right?" Frisk did nothing, but he saw Flowey smile. Not grin. Smile. "We're still inseparable, after all these years…" she sighed. After another moment, Flowey straightened up and continued, "Listen. I have a plan to become all-powerful. Even more powerful than you and your stolen soul."

Frisk's eyes widened, but he made no other moves.

"Let's destroy everything in the wretched world." Flowey's face melted into a horrid mockery of Toriel. "Everyone, everything in these worthless memories…" Her face quickly snapped back to her wide, malicious grin. **"Let's turn'em all to dust."**

Hm...That's a wonderful idea!

Frisk blinked a couple times and shook his head, and Flowey ducked down into the grass and disappeared, leaving Frisk to march forward and open the door to Snowdin. And amazingly, despite the fact he'd committed what equated to manslaughter _and_ possibly matricide, he found a small smile crossing his face.

He'd finally found the answer to his question.


	21. Hell's Eyes: Cold Day to Cross Me

Hell's Eyes: Cold Day to Cross Me

The snow was cold today. Colder than usual. Frisk didn't mind it, though, as he'd grown more than accustomed to it. Mostly. The human body still had its limits, after all. He walked away from the door that led into the Ruins and strode among the pine trees, taking it in. Something about Snowdin Forest felt...different now. He took a deep breath; the air smelled more pungent. The snow under his heel felt more crisp. He didn't have to wonder what it was; it was merely the fact that he was seeing the world through fresh eyes now.

He walked a bit further and heard a twig behind him snap. He didn't even jump. When he carried on a little further, he heard footsteps crunching through the snow, but he didn't slow down. Frisk just kept his eyes on the road until he came to the bridge over the small chasm and stopped. It was just in time to hear those same footsteps come back and get closer. Frisk only sighed. _Let's just get this over and done with._

Frisk turned around to see the outline of Sans, covered by a strange kind of shadow he still didn't understand. At this point, he didn't really care, and held out his hand for Sans to shake.

 _PFTHBPTPTHFFFFFTHHHFRrrrrrrrrrrrrt...poot!_

"heheh...the old whoopee-cushion-in-the-hand-trick. It's ALWAYS funny." Maybe not for the hundred-millionth time, probably. Sans was grinning at him. He always was, but something seemed off this time. Frisk, for the life of him, couldn't place it. They stood there in awkward silence for another minute before Sans broke eye contact for a moment and said, "that's, uh. your cue to laugh. or, uh, to emote at all…?" He winked; it looked forced.

"(gee, lady, you _really_ know how to pick'em, huh…?)" he muttered under his breath before he winked again and nonchalantly said, "ok, that's fine. everyone's got their own sense of humor. "i'm sans. sans the skeleton. you're a human, right? i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but...y'know...i don't really care about capturing anybody."

Frisk nodded dismissively. Sans either didn't notice or didn't care. "now my brother, papyrus…he's a human-huntin' FANATIC. hey, actually, i think that's him over there." Frisk didn't bother turning around as Sans continued, "i have an idea. go through this gate thingy." Frisk made a quick glance behind him at the gate and Sans must have taken it to mean cautiousness, because he added, "yeah, go right through. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anybody," and immediately herded Frisk across the bridge. Frisk sighed when they came to a stop and began looking around for something he could use as a weapon. "quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp." Frisk refrained from looking back and giving Sans the stink-eye, and boy, did that take a lot of willpower.

"...uh, ok, i guess you don't have to," Sans conceded.

They didn't wait for long, to Frisk's surprise, as Papyrus stormed into the clearing and called, "SANS! HAVE YOU FOUND A HUMAN YET!?"

Sans only winked. "yeah."

"REALLY!? WOWIE!" Papyrus' grin grew one and a half times wider. "GUESS THAT'S SETTLED!" He dusted his gloves, turned, and marched away without another word, and Frisk raised his eyebrows; even _he_ didn't expect this exchange to go that quick.

Sans seemed to be on the same page when he heard him quip, "that worked out, huh?" Frisk pursed his lips and whipped around to stare Sans dead in the eyes. He wanted to punch him out for stalling him, but instead, he remained there, just glaring intently at him. Despite Frisk only being several inches away from his face, he retained his sense of humor. "...are you just gonna stare at me, or…?"

Frisk shook his head slowly and turned around to leave. As he passed the checkpoint, he peered over the edge and saw bottles of mustard, ketchup, and other assorted condiments. He instinctively crunched up his face in disgust and quickly walked away from it, but before he could leave the area proper, he heard Sans tell him, "well, i'll be straightforward with you. my brother'd _really_ like to see a human...so y'know, it'd really help me out..." He paused, and winked. Slowly. "if you kept _pretending_ to be one."

He whirled around to glare at Sans again, but the skeleton was already walking away into the trees, and he disappeared from sight. Frisk stopped himself from calling after him, and simply walked out of the area. As he walked, however, he suddenly understood what he thought was uncanny about Sans' tone.

He sounded like he knew what Frisk was up to. He stopped short for only a second before he reminded himself that Sans' memories were mostly reset-proof, for whatever reason, and nothing a True Reset couldn't fix. He took a deep breath and set his countenance in stone before he marched forward and into the next clearing. The SAVE point was waiting for him and he stretched out his hand toward it.

16 left.

Determination washed over Frisk, and he allowed it to reinvigorate him before he walked away. He didn't get far before he was stopped by Snowdrake. Frisk brought his head up to look him in the eye before he scowled, brandished the Toy Knife, and swung. The blade cut, but not deeply. "Fights you in 'cold' blood," Snowdrake said before unleashing a torrent of icy winds on Frisk.

Frisk's expression barely changed as he stepped to one side and then slid on his knees under a few more. He popped back up, jumped over a couple more attacks, and then returned to where he'd been previously. _This will be easy._ Frisk wiped his upper lip with his index finger and held the knife aloft. He stepped forward, wound up and swung as hard as he could. He felt Snowdrake's body try to resist being wounded, but it didn't last. The knife cut, and the cut proved fatal. Snowdrake's face twisted into an expression that straddled the line between shock and horror before he melted away.

You Won! You earned 22 XP and 18 gold.

Your LOVE increased.

He stared at the pitifully small pile of dust in front of him. Some of it was already being blown away; Frisk didn't leave until it was all gone, at which point, he returned the knife to his inventory and turned away. "...Your puns were always atrocious," he muttered.

* * *

"REALLY, THOUGH! THAT HUMAN!" Papyrus was facing Sans on the edge of a sheer cliff that dropped into Snowdin Forest. He looked unsure of himself for once. "DO I KNOW THAT PERSON?" Neither he nor Sans noticed the child that walked out of the trees across the field, the last few motes of dust coming off him in the wind. Frisk searched them with his eyes and fidgeted with his knife. He huffed to himself as they carried on their...inane conversation.

"do you not know…" Sans replied smartly, "who you know?"

"PBPBPPPBPT! OF COURSE I KNOW WHO I KNOW!" Papyrus sounded like Sans asked him if the sky was black (because they were all underground). "I WANTED TO KNOW IF _YOU_ KNOW…" He took a deep breath in and fired off, "I KNOW WHO I KNOW AS MUCH AS I KNOW I KNOW WHO I KNOW!" He paused and then shrugged. "...YOU KNOW?" He stopped monologuing to look back at the clearing for anyone knew, and he found them standing right at the edge of the puzzle he had set up. "OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU…" he revealed, "MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE…"

Frisk sneered. He didn't have time for this.

"QUITE SHOCKING! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS...THE, INVISIBLE..." Papyrus' voice trailed off as Frisk marched across the opening. Sweat was forming on his cranium, and the three of them stood in total silence; Frisk's stare bored holes into Papyrus' head. "UHHHHHHH…?" Papyrus' eyes flitted about nervously before he regained some of his composure and postulated, "HMMM...YOU MUST BE HAVING CULTURE SHOCK. YOU SEE, WHERE _I_ COME FROM, IT'S A LOVING TRADITION TO SUFFER THROUGH HORRIBLE PUZZLES FOR NO REASON."

Frisk felt himself sneering again. That's all Papyrus was: puzzles and egoism. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that's what the skeleton boiled down to. At the end of the day, the only people he truly cared about were himself and Sans. He licked his lips and curled his fingers around the Toy Knife in his pocket. He'd have to do something about that. He took a few more steps forward.

"SO, UH, JUST WALK BACK THERE, AND…" Papyrus started to sweat and shiver nervously for another moment before he miraculously seemed to shake the anxiety off. "SIGH...WHY COULDN'T WE GET A HUMAN THAT LIKES PUZZLES?" he asked no one in particular before he quickly made an exit. Frisk only squinted after him. He'd give that sorry excuse for a punching bag something to worry about soon enough. Of course, he did make the mistake of glancing over at Sans to gauge his reaction.

Sans only stared at him and said, "it would make my brother happy if you played along." Frisk could hear something in his tone that sounded like he was getting impatient with him. Impatient, or very disappointed. He immediately turned his back and followed Papyrus.

Frisk had been walking across the rickety wooden bridge over the sea of snow and pines he'd seen a thousand times. It wasn't until he heard Papyrus' voice and saw his profile several feet ahead that he decided to stop. "HUMAN!" Papyrus eloquated, "THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" A cannon, a torch, a flail, and above all, that stupid dog appeared on both sides of the bridge. Papyrus continued with bravado, "WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!" He struck a pose and then pointed at Frisk; he didn't bat an eye. "ARE YOU READY!? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!"

Nothing happened for a solid five seconds, at which point Sans asked, "well? what's the holdup?"

Papyrus scowled indignantly. "HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!? I'M...I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!"

The Gauntlet of Terror remained decidedly in one spot, highly unbecoming of its name. "that, uh, doesn't look very activated."

"WELL!" Papyrus puffed out his chest, but it deflated not too long after, and his face became sullen. "...THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO WALK THROUGH IT ANYWAY. AND IT WON'T BE ANY FUN AT ALL," he admitted.

"hmmm...so this 'human' thing was a bust, huh?" Sans remarked.

"WELL. I MEAN. I'M EXCITED TO CAPTURE THEM. SO I'LL BECOME A FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN! BUT ALL THE TIME I PUT INTO THESE PUZZLES...IT'S KIND OF LIKE THROWING A BIRTHDAY PARTY," Papyrus explained.

"without traps and fire?"

"EXACTLY! IT'S POINTLESS!" Papyrus paused and seemed to be deep in thought before he said, "MAYBE YOU WERE RIGHT TO BE LAZY ABOUT PUZZLES."

Sans' shoulders flinched and his eyes widened in surprise. Not by much, of course, but enough to be noticeable. "me? right about something? really?"

Papyrus paused and then turned around and then shrugged in an exaggerated manner. "YEAH! WHAT _AM_ I SAYING! YOU'RE STILL _COMPLETELY_ WRONG! I JUST HAVE THE WRONG AUDIENCE!" Papyrus gestured to the gauntlet's many tools of destruction and exclaimed, "THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH FUN UNDYNE WOULD HAVE HERE! FLAMES, VIOLENCE, IT'S RIGHT UP HER ALLEY!" He smiled and put his hands on his hips before he told Frisk, "SO I WON'T WASTE THIS PUZZLE ON YOU. I JUST HAVE TO APPRECIATE...THE FRIEND ALREADY HAVE! PHEW! A VALUABLE LIFE LESSON! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" " The various instruments of maiming and pain retracted, but Frisk didn't care. He felt his chest squeeze up when Papyrus said that.

Now he _really_ needed to die.

Frisk marched forward once again when he saw Papyrus hastily vacate the area, but Sans remained where he was, if not a couple steps to Frisk's left. Frisk got off the bridge and was about to follow Papyrus into Snowdin before his curiosity got the better of him and he turned around to speak with Sans.

"hmmm...guess we didn't need your help to have a good time after all." Sans winked; Frisk remained unamused. After he got no reaction, Sans let his head fall a bit and he closed his eyes, but before Frisk could turn to leave, he muttered, "...say, i've been thinking. seems like you're gonna fight my brother pretty soon." He glanced up with that trademark grin on his face. "here's some friendly advice. if you keep going the way you are now..." Before Frisk even had time to cry out in shock, Sans' eyesockets went utterly black and fact that his grin didn't drop made the sight even more unnerving to behold.

"You're gonna have a **bad time."**

Frisk blinked once as he reeled away from Sans and in the intermittent time he had his eyes shut and reopened them for a nanosecond...Sans was gone. He would have probably fallen on his rear if he didn't know Sans as well as he did from constantly meeting him over and over again, so instead of freaking out like a rational human would, he instead flinched again, looked around, and shook his head and filed Sans' threat away for later. He had Monsters to kill at the moment.

It wasn't like that lazy skeleton could get off his butt to save his life normally anyway. The most he might be able to do to Frisk would be some scratched shins.

He marched into Snowdin Town and immediately went straight for the shop, but he found, to his surprise, that nobody came. Frisk looked left and right until he noticed a small note left next to the register. He gazed at it for a moment before he picked it up; it only conveyed the short message of, "Please don't hurt my family." Frisk read the note again to be sure of what he was looking at before he scowled and crumpled the paper up with one hand and tossed it carelessly over his shoulder as he huffed in annoyance. Someone had warned them ahead of time.

Son of a bitch.

Frisk looked back at the shop counter for a moment before he fully realized that with no one guarding the wares, he was free to take whatever he wanted, and take he did; at the very least, he had excess healing items for dire situations. Better yet…

He pocketed the bandana and slipped the glove on his left hand. He could care less about armor at the moment with how fast he was killing things, but more attack power was always a welcome boost. Frisk gave his wrist a shake before he peered back over the counter to see a pile of gold rather poorly hidden in the crawlspace under it. His eyes widened and he reached down as far as he could before he procured approximately seven hundred-fifty gold from the shop. When he got back to the snow-covered ground and clutching his newfound wealth, he remembered all the times this would have come in handy, mainly every single time he was trying to buy enough defensive items and food to outlast Asgore. It was certainly a lot faster than getting chump change from every Monster he spared instead. Frisk sighed as he gazed more intently at the coins in his hand and he wondered, _But if I can just take everything...is it worth it?_ It finally brought to the surface old memories of two children playing in the sunlight that reached the ruined chamber of golden flowers, a memory that was doomed to never be seen again.

The next minute, Frisk had flung the gold back into the shop window so hard that it left cracks in the wall behind the counter.

This bad mood continued as he walked into the Snowed Inn to find it totally vacant, and only a decoy statue placed behind the reception counter. Frisk strode into the town proper to find _it_ utterly empty as well, save for one person. Frisk's eyes widened when he saw him, and then they gleamed. _That kid…_

He approached slowly, flexing his fingers in the glove. Monster Kid was hanging out by the tree, his back facing Frisk; he _would_ have started a FIGHT, but MK must not have caught on to his intent because when he met Frisk's gaze, he said, "Yo, everyone ran away and hid somewhere. Man, adults can be so dumb sometimes, haha…" MK trailed off and added, "Don't they know we've got Undyne to protect us!?"

Frisk paused as realization dawned on him. Of course. He almost forgot that Undyne might have some... _choice words_ for him when they met. And choice actions to back up those words. He turned around, forgetting all notion of harming MK. He had to continue on and take enough EXP to give him a fighting chance. And before he could do that…

Frisk crossed through the rest of Snowdin Town. He passed by Grillby's and stuck his head inside to find everyone gone, as he expected. He didn't bother checking the other buildings, and he certainly didn't bother checking Sans and Papyrus' house. He only marched forward until the warm, humid air of Waterfall met the cold, dry air of Snowdin and caused the path he walked to get more and more foggy until he heard Papyrus call, "HALT, HUMAN!" His silhouette appeared almost immediately. Frisk furrowed his brow. Determination was flowing through him, and he stepped forward.

"HEY, QUIT MOVING WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SOMETHINGS TO SAY."

Frisk paused...and then relaxed. _...All right, then. If the last thing you're going to do is give me a speech, it had better be amusing,_ he thought as he crossed his arms.

"FRIST, YOU'RE A FREAKING WEIRDO!"

 _...Strike one._

"NOT ONLY DO YOU _NOT_ LIKE PUZZLES," he continued, "BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE...THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER. IT FEELS…" Papyrus paused a moment to consider his choice of words. "LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH. HOWEVER! I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU!"

Frisk quietly scoffed. He made sure it was too low for Papyrus to hear.

"EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY!"

 _Maybe I'm sick of trying,_ Frisk thought bitterly.

"AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL! NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!"

Frisk let the silence settle for another moment before he felt his body growing hot and his legs piloting him closer. _Strike two._

"HEY, QUIT MOVING!" Papyrus demanded. "THIS IS _EXACTLY_ WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT! I, PAPYRUS...WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!"

Frisk pursed his lips, felt his eyes widen, and felt his blood begin to boil. This... _idiot_ thought he knew what was best for Frisk. He didn't know _anything._ Like the rest of them. At least Toriel didn't have delusions of pretension, or at the very least, they weren't as grand as the ones Papyrus had. Frisk marched up several paces until he was within spitting distance of him, his fist curled into a ball of iron."I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE?" Papyrus got no answer, which he proceeded to assume as confirmation. "WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"

Frisk paused, and then grinned.

 _Strike three._

The rest of the world went dark, and Frisk and Papyrus were locked in a FIGHT. Together. Frisk was about to attack him right then and there if he didn't hear the voice in his head tell him something critical:

Papyrus is sparing you.

That was enough to make Frisk stop, and he had to admit, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Papyrus was more perceptive than he gave him credit for. Realizing, and attempting to assuage Frisk's anger was probably the most astute observation _any_ Monster had made thus far. Even Sans, who had at least base knowledge that the Underground was part of some sort of time anomaly, didn't guess Frisk's motives for running around and killing everyone. Or more likely...he didn't care. But that begged the question, _where_ was that kind of justice before? _Where_ was that kind of mercy when he needed it the most?

He wound up with his left hand, and threw a punch so mighty, he felt the shockwave ripple through the air. He hit Papyrus square in the chest, and despite his expression remaining unchanged, Papyrus shuddered, causing his head to rattle and shake, and quickly come loose. He caught it with his own hand, though. "W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED," he said in an uncharacteristically sotto voice.

Papyrus' body disintegrated almost immediately. "BUT...ST...STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER!" he called to Frisk. "EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO!" Frisk's eyes remained unblinking as he stared down at the skeleton's detached head. "I…"

"I PROMISE…"

With another small gust of wind, Papyrus' dust was scattered around the clearing, becoming one with the snow under Frisk's boots. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, breathing deeply. Toriel was gone; so was Papyrus. And he realized that if he could dispatch the two greatest emotional attachments he had to the Underground, then what chance did every other Monster have?

None.

Less than none.

Frisk lowered his head again and paused a moment as he swirled some saliva in his mouth. The next minute, the silence was broken by a _"Ptoo...!"_ and a glob of spit landed on the ground where Papyrus' head had been. Frisk rolled his left shoulder and walked into Waterfall in silence.

* * *

A/N: -_-


	22. if-then break

⸤ ⸥

if-then break;

The Shrouding Gate kept roaring and throwing sparks of magical energy across Sans' lab. Both he and Alphys had to shield their eyes from the blinding lights, but could not drown out the noise as the machine shuddered and shook the walls of the lab. "I-Is it _supposed_ to be doing this…!?" Alphys yelled over the commotion.

"...don't know, but it's doing _something!"_ Sans called back. Even his loudest voice was in danger of being canceled by the Shrouding Gate. It shook, rattled, convulsed in heaving spasms for seconds that felt like they were dragging on forever, until…

A small spark of white appeared in front of the entrance to the Shrouding Gate, and it was filled with a turquoise blue. The insides themselves had a rainbow of colors pouring out of it, but the spark was noticeable thanks to being in close proximity with the scientists, and Alphys was the first to pipe up, "Sans! What was that?"

"what was what?"

"I saw something flicker in the entryway!" Alphys called. "Is that natural?"

"uh, you'll have to describe what it looked like."

Alphys paused for only a second before she explained, "W-Well, it only stuck around for a second. It was small, white, and it-"

Before she could finish her thoughts, the sound of electric thunder exploded outward from the Shrouding Gate, and the spark returned. Now, however, it had grown in size, reaching from the ceiling to the floor, and its outline was wreathed in searing white while the space inside was filled with a nebula of turquoise and deep-sea blue, set with starts that twinkled like precious stones. The machine itself seemed to relax, and both Alphys and Sans were left staring at it in awe.

"...Yeah, kinda like that. B-But smaller," Alphys murmured.

"...oh."

The spark, now definitely a gateway, remained there for a few more seconds before it began to convulse and the stars and turquoise gradient began to glow brighter. Alphys instinctively flinched and curled up defensively as she looked at it and the light began to get brighter and the portal's spasmodic motions began to get sharper and more frequent. "Is…" she stuttered, "Is it supposed to be doing _that,_ too?" The portal continued to shine and spasm, but Alphys received no answer. She looked over and asked, "Sans…?"

Instead of getting through, Sans only seemed to be interested in watching the portal, its glowing magnificence refusing to die. The tear in space and time eventually to lose its luster, but to replace it, the turquoise had been replaced with deep blue, and the rest of the colors were now close to being completely black. The stars still remained, standing out more against the darkness behind them now, but slowly, they began to blink out. It didn't go unnoticed. "Sans…?" Alphys said again. "The stars are going out. What's that mean?"

"uhh...don't know," was Sans' reply. "could mean any number of things. could mean the gate's losing power at a rapid pace. could mean the timeline we've punched into doesn't exist anymore. could mean we mixed up our coordinates and we're about to look at some low-end pizza shop on the surface instead of what we want. could mean-"

Sans was cut off as the stars all began to disappear rapidly, and the cause became apparent; it wasn't natural, and some shape inside the portal was blotting them out instead. It was hard to see, but what Sans and Alphys could tell from where they were was that the shape was getting closer, and fast. In an instant, the thing was directly in front of the portal's mouth and blocking everything behind it, but it didn't stay there.

The next minute, the surface of the tear between timelines was broken to the sound of a dull explosion and shattering glass, and the object inside was hurled out at a high velocity. It skidded across the floor a couple times, and Sans and Alphys both ducked out of the way as it flew by them and nearly collided with the back wall. It was hard to make out, but it became clearer as it groaned and stood up. The being was humanoid in appearance, and looked remarkably similar to...

"dad…?"

It barely took a moment for Sans to recognize his father, despite the (admittedly expected) changes he was now sporting. Instead of a white lab coat with a suit underneath, Gaster now wore a soot-black coat and pressed pants with a white turtleneck under it, and his face was...disfigured with two vertical cracks in his skull, one running over the top of his right side and the other one down to the corner of his mouth below the eye. It didn't seem to impact his attitude, however, as he finished brushing his coat off and looked up; when he laid eyes on Sans, he smiled. "AH, SANS! YOU ARE STILL HERE.

EXCELLENT.

WAS THE EXPERIMENT A SUCCESS? HOW MUCH TIME HAS ELAPSED

SINCE I LAST SAW YOU?"

Alphys blinked a couple times. "W...What…? Sans, what's going on? Who is this guy? How does he know you?"

"uh...well, dad," Sans began hesitantly, ignoring Alphys' question, "i dunno about the experiment itself, and i sure can't tell accurately you how much time has passed since then." He reached behind his head and scratched his neck. "like, that fact that the underground has no set timeline to jump off from? could mean you've been gone for either a couple'a days or maybe a few-thousand years."

Gaster furrowed his brow. "SANS, HOW DID YOU REACH SUCH A CONCLUSION?

I HAVE ONLY BEEN GONE

A FEW SECONDS AT MOST. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND…" He trailed off for a moment and before Sans could interject about how wrong Gaster was, the old scientist held up a hand and spoke again. "WAIT.

IT IS...COMING TO ME."

That was enough to give Sans pause. "dad…?"

"I REMEMBER THE CORE, BUT…" He closed his eyes and began to move his left hand away like a mystic divining the future for a moment before his eyes shot open again and he seemed to have an epiphany. "AH. YES. I REMEMBER…" Gaster trailed off and a small smile broke across his lips. "I ALSO REMEMBER BEING IMPRISONED...

IT WOULD SEEM THAT NOW I HAVE LEFT NULLSPACE,

I HOLD TWO DISTINCT SETS

OF MEMORIES IN MY HEAD.

FASCINATING. QUITE FASCINATING."

Sans was _going_ to say something, but the words wouldn't come. He just coughed once and felt himself grinning like an idiot. He took a couple tentative steps forward toward Gaster and almost made it close enough to finally hug him before Alphys, who had been watching the two of them talk and been utterly confused about it the whole time, said, "Hold on...experiment? The CORE…?" Sans and Gaster looked at her, and in turn she stared at the both of them intently for a moment before she adjusted her glasses and muttered, "Doctor Gaster…?"

The doctor nodded his head. "THE VERY SAME."

Alphys blinked a couple more times before her eyes widened and she cupped her hands to her mouth. "Ohmigod, ohmigod, I can't believe I forgot! How did I forget? How _could_ I forget? I was practically _interning_ at the lab when you were…" She trailed off and then started up again. "Ohmigod, then that means that one morning I went to work and half the lab was missing wasn't because of a remodeling project I didn't know about it was because you...did whatever you did with the CORE and I didn't know because I totally forgot you existed! I-I'm _so_ sorry...!"

Gaster only raised a hand and waved politely. "AH. PLEASE,

DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF. AND DO NOT BE AFRAID.

WHAT MATTERS NOW

IS THAT I AM HERE." He looked down at Sans and kept smiling warmly. "AND I DO NOT PLAN ON LEAVING AGAIN

FOR A LONG,

LONG

TIME."

Sans remained frozen in place for a few minutes before he coughed once. Then he coughed again, though it came out more as a spluttered chuckle. Then he started to laugh, roughly at first, but it grew naturally until he was laughing like someone had told him the best joke in the whole world. Alphys was smiling at the very least, and Gaster himself was patiently waiting for the joy to wear off. When it did, Sans had tears in his eyes and was smiling up at his old man. "aw, jeez, dad," Sans replied, "you didn't tell me nullspace made you a more moving speaker. i would've thrown myself in, too."

"...YOU WOULD NOT HAVE HAD A GOOD TIME," Gaster informed him.

Sans paused and glanced around the lab before he continued, "anyway...i guess we, uh...gotta get our experiments back on track after a long hiatus, huh?

"INDEED," Gaster affirmed, "AND TO DO THAT, WE WILL NEED

THE CHILD."

"that part of your plan?" Gaster didn't reply, he only tented his fingers and drummed them together in perfect rhythm. Sans shrugged and chuckled, "heh. _really_ hope i actually get to hear what exactly it is you've been so worked up about before whatever divine power out there decides to smite you before the big reveal. that'd be funny."

"IT WOULD BE VERY, VERY IRONIC," Gaster replied. He looked around again and asked, "THE CHILD IS HERE, ARE THEY NOT? I HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE

THEY ARE PARTLY THE REASON FOR MY FREEDOM.

I BELIEVE I SHOULD THANK THEM PERSONALLY."

Sans' grin fell immediately, and he glanced back at Alphys. She wasn't smiling by now either. "U-um…" she spoke quietly at first. "Th-they're...in here…" She turned and trudged over to the entrance to the Shrouding Gate. It was now silent and dark, and both Sans and Gaster followed her, Gaster himself looking more intrigued than worried. Alphys and Sans walked into the entrance, Gaster ducked in, and even in the low-light conditions now inherent on the inside of the machine, they could plainly see him: Frisk still had the electrodes attached to his body, but he had collapsed on floor, lying on his right side and facing them. He looked no different, but every few seconds, his whole body would shake and his fingers would twitch, and he otherwise seemed unresponsive. They all paused, Sans and Alphys far more terrified than Gaster was, but Alphys was the first to shake herself out of the shock. She raced over to Frisk and quickly disconnected the wires from him and began calling, "Frisk? Frisk!? Are you okay!? Can you hear me? _Please_ say something…!"

Sans joined her and knelt in front of Frisk. He shook him a bit before he whispered, "frisk…?" When he received no response, he tried again and harder. "kiddo? wake up, kid." No response. Sans placed both hand on Frisk's shoulder and wouldn't stop shaking him. "c'mon kid, wake up. this ain't funny! gettin' this screwed up wasn't in the deal, frisk...this isn't worth it."

He was about to try and resort to using a slap to wake Frisk up before Gaster strode up behind the both of them and placed one hand on each other their shoulders, gently pushing them aside. Alphys and Sans let him. He bent down to get a better look at Frisk's face; his eyes were shut tight, his teeth were clenched and it looked like he was biting hard enough to break them, and he was bleeding from his lips and nose. Gaster blinked a couple times but made no other sound, and then reached down and used one of his long, thin fingers to roll up one of Frisk's eyelids. His eye was rolled back into his head completely, revealing the blood vessels and sinew that held it in place; if that wasn't enough, his eyes was _also_ violently twitching as well. Gaster only muttered to himself and stood back up, but before Alphys or Sans could ask him what happened, he gestured his arms around each other in a circle, causing a ring of violet magic to be left behind them. Frisk's body slowly rose into the air, and went higher than Gaster. He held out his hands and Frisk came back down for Gaster to carry him. "THEY ARE COMATOSE," he stated. "BUT IT IS ODD. THEIR EYE POSITION DENOTES THEY ARE UNRESPONSIVE…

BUT THEIR EYES ARE MOVING NOT UNLIKE

THE PROCESS OF REM SLEEP. I CAN ONLY HYPOTHESIZE

THEY ARE UNDERGOING DREADFULLY TRAUMATIC HALLUCINATIONS

DUE TO THE STRESS OF POWERING THE SHROUDING GATE.

THE PROTOTYPE WAS NEVER MEANT

TO BE USED IN THIS WAY." With a flourish of his coat, he turned around and began to walk out of the machine, and Alphys and Sans didn't hesitate to follow. "WE MUST GET THEM TO MY LAB

AND HAVE THEM STABILIZED."

The three of them crossed the floor over to the exit. Alphys broke the silence by asking, "A-And then…?"

Gaster turned to look down at her. Though his words held no malice, they were dead serious. "AND THEN WE WAIT."

He approached the door and in the next moment, had conjured an exact replica of one of his hands, gaping hole in the center and all. It floated forward and knocked on the door once, which when it made contact, released violet sparks. The hand then turned the knob, and the door opened up to reveal that beyond it was not the cold and ice of Snowdin, but the grimy halls of the True Lab. "QUICKLY," Gaster said as he crossed the threshold. "THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE."

* * *

The fire crackled, even if it was slowly dying. Toriel looked up from the book she had been reading ("Common Snail Behaviors and What They Mean") and sighed to herself. She placed a bookmark on the current page, stood up, and used the poker standing by to agitate the flames before she gently cast a spell, and a small fireball jumped from her hand and landed in the fireplace. It ignited the logs and the fire came roaring back to life.

Toriel sighed, and was about to return to her reading before she suddenly felt...uneasy. She furrowed her brow and blinked. It was odd, really. She felt like she remembered something she had forgotten...but couldn't remember _exactly_ what it was she forgot about. But the worst part was that somehow, she instinctively knew that the answer to what it was…

Toriel turned around and walked over to the stairs in the back of her house, and quickly jogged down them. She reached the bottom and strode forward, took a left, and reached the door to Snowdin Forest. She hadn't touched it after Frisk left. It felt like years since they'd been here by now. She reached up to the symbol etched into the stone, but just as quickly retracted her hand. _No,_ she told herself, _I swore that I would never leave here again. I cannot go back anyway._ Toriel took one last mournful glance at the exit before she turned and began to slowly walk away...but that part of her mind that knew a secret had been hidden away from her was fervent. It nagged, and it pestered as she walked back down the hall and little by little, Toriel's steps began to slow down, until she stopped entirely.

She stayed there in silent contemplation until, finally, she turned back around once more and walked over to the exit. She stared at the Delta Rune and, taking a breath and closing her eyes, she placed her hands on each side of the split in the middle and pushed.

The cold, wintery air flowed across her skin and through the exposed fur on her face; Toriel opened her eyes to see a majestic forest, lush with firs, and had to pause to take it all in. The state of wonder passed, however, as she marched out into the snow and bravely ahead, all the while trying to justify her own actions to herself. And she found that it was surprisingly easy.

If not for her own curiosity, then for Frisk.

She owed them at least that much, perhaps.

* * *

It was a nice day.

Asgore took a fleeting look up and out the throne room window as he continued to water the flowers. Every day was a nice day. Asgore took a step to the side and turned as he continued to pour water across the sourgrass.

And then, almost as soon as it was a nice day...it wasn't. Asgore froze in place and his head shot up, eyes wide in horror. He remained that way until he lost his grip on the watering can he was holding, and it fell out of his hands.

He stayed frozen like a statue only for another few seconds before he whipped around and barreled out of the throne room and made a mad dash for the entrance to his castle.

* * *

Papyrus stirred the pot of noodles, happily humming to himself, for about three minutes before he flinched as he felt something long lost return to him, very suddenly and without warning. He was rigid, and stayed that way for so long the spaghetti began to burn, and only when the smell got to him did he look down at the pot and quickly throw it all in the sink; for in his shock, he had forgotten that sivs exist.

What followed next was a loud, anguished cry of, "GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY, HOW COULD I FORGET!?" Papyrus ran out of the kitchen and didn't even waste time on opening the door, as he yelled, _"NYEEHH!"_ and jumped right through the front window of the house and shattered it. He hit the ground, rolled, and popped right back up on his feet. "SANS!" he yelled. "SANS, WHERE _ARE_ YOU!? SOMETHING HAPPENED TO DAD! GET OUT OF WHATEVER LAZY HIDEY-HOLE YOU HAVE CONSTRUCTED OUT OF OLD SOCKS RIGHT NOW!" When Sans didn't appear in front of, behind, or above him, Papyrus stomped his foot on the ground once before he shouted, "GAHHHH! I HAVE TO DO _EVERYTHING_ AROUND HERE!"

He was about to step off and race toward Hotland, but he paused when he heard hurried footsteps behind him, and looked back to see a clone of Asgore himself, which was actually Toriel, running through the main road of town. Papyrus smiled and immediately felt at ease. "OH, HELLO, YOUR MAJESTY!" He paused and squinted as Toriel came closer, and slowed down to meet him. "SAY, WHAT BRINGS OUT HERE TODAY? I DON'T REMEMBER YOUR CASTLE BEING OVER THERE. UNLESS YOU WENT TO THE OLD ONE! FOR A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE, I'M GUESSING?"

Toriel stopped in front of him and tilted her head quizzically. "'Old castle…?'" she repeated. She shook her head and smiled warmly, "Oh, dear me. I must have been gone longer than I thought. I'm sorry, my friend, you must have me confused with someone else."

"AH, THAT EXPLAINS IT!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I WAS WONDERING HOW KING ASGORE MANAGED TO GET FROM HIS CASTLE TO THE RUINS WITHOUT PASSING THROUGH SNOWDIN FIRST! I WOULD HAVE KNOWN! I WOULD HAVE COME RUNNING OUT TO MEET HIM!" Toriel instinctively flinched and grimaced at the mention of Asgore's name, but she tried not to let it be glaringly obvious. She hadn't left the Ruins to deal with him anyway. "UNFORTUNATELY! I I MUST BE OFF!" Papyrus continued as he dramatically pointed toward Waterfall. "I HAVE THE SUDDEN INESCAPABLE BELIEF THAT DAD IS IN DANGER, AND HE NEEDS HELP FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He stopped, blinked once, and hastily added, "ERM, MY DAD. NOT YOURS."

Toriel giggled and waved her hand. "Oh, it is no trouble. In fact, I was traveling out of the Ruins to find…" She trailed off and her face became sullen. "A child I had sworn to protect," she murmured.

Papyrus cocked his head to one side. "DID THIS CHILD, BY ANY CHANCE, POSSESS...HUMAN-LIKE QUALITIES…?" he asked.

Toriel gasped and had to pause before she replied, "I...Yes! I am sorry, but they never told me their name. Have you met them…?"

"YES, IN FACT! THEY ARE PROBABLY WITH MY BROTHER, WHO IS PROBABLY WITH MY DAD, PROVIDED HE IS NOT IN TROUBLE! WHICH STANDS TO REASON THAT IF WE FIND MY DAD! WE WILL ALSO FIND FRISK!" Papyrus exclaimed. He pivoted on his heel and cried, "QUICKLY! WE SHALL FIND ALL THREE OF THEM IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE AND SAVE THEM! IF THEY NEED SAVING! IF NOT, THEN WE SHALL BE THERE JUST IN TIME TO HAVE SOME TEA!"

Papyrus drew back and sprinted away from his house as he cackled, "NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" all the way, and Toriel, though slightly confused by how fast his mouth had been moving previously, followed him at full tilt.

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the utter lack of annotations on the last two chapters, I was going for atmosphere and "these events are beyond my jurisdiction" shit.

 **Replies**

 **Offbrandbisuit:** Never done genocide before, can't relate. Glad you're like it so far, I've been feeling very underwhelmed as I write it; feels like it needs more descriptions and spectacle, y'know?

 **SaintHeartwing:** Sorry this fic isn't up your alley, but I had an idea one day that demanded to be written down, and it all spiraled out of control from there. I've got the end of this Genocide arc planned out anyway, and if that does nothing to sate you, I'd advise you consider me a lost cause and talk to someone more worth your time. I've got the rest of this fic planned and I won't let even Judgement Day stop me.

⸢ ⸣


	23. Hell's Eyes: Grinning Ghost

Hell's Eyes: Grinning Ghost

The first area of Waterfall was deathly silent. Frisk saw that MK had followed him to the first area, like he always did. Frisk remembered he probably shouldn't do anything...drastic to the kid before he at least helped him through the open caverns later on. But how had he forgotten that fact…? It _should_ have been clear as day to him. Was it because of his desire to kill?

Frisk shook his head as he passed MK by as quietly as he could and approached the SAVE point.

18 left.

Frisk breathed in and turned back around and began to walk toward the next section. As he passed by Sans' empty station, he couldn't help but glance over and recall a conversation he had with him once. He tried to kill every Monster down here, once. But when he encountered Papyrus that one time, he couldn't bring himself to strike him down, and Sans had been there to acknowledge it. "hey, i really respect what you did back there," he had said. He looked tired, and not in the physical way either. It looked like he'd been worrying himself sick over how Papyrus might survive an encounter with him that time. "thanks." Sans had winked at him, and his friendly behavior had returned. Mostly.

That was a long time ago.

He entered the next hallway and walked forward to find that the entryway waterfall had no rocks falling from it. He glanced up into the dark, where they would normally be falling from, and he waited on the bank of the river for a few seconds to see if any rocks would come down before he decided he was safe, and waded through the water. In the room beyond, Frisk found the bridge seeds were already arranged for him to cross the water. Just like how he had seen vines pinning the puzzle switches in the Snowdin Forest that got him through faster. Frisk crossed the bridge, looked around, and sighed. Waterfall was almost totally silent; the only sounds he could hear was a kind of slow, distorted waltz, coming from his head. It sounded familiar.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something slithering through the wet silt. The world constricted and he saw Moldsmal approach him. Frisk made an aside glance at it, and huffed.

He flexed the fingers on his left hand. He could hear the leather on the glove tighten and stretch.

* * *

He'd made it past Undyne in the place she usually was. She'd stood around until Frisk decided to move, with Papyrus failing to appear as he was dead. She'd scanned the reeds for him, and when he refused to move, Undyne had disappeared. MK appeared not long after.

He was getting annoying.

The quiet, winding path held a few memories. Frisk was finding them harder to recall now. He walked slowly in between the small islands on the water, where motes of light danced and Monsters whispered silent prayers to whatever god might hear them, and deliver them from the dark.

Frisk stopped short when a Woshua and an Aaron crossed his path.

Woshua and Aaron appear.

Frisk grimaced and cracked his knuckles, which shook some dust loose on his sleeves and the Tough Glove itself. He stepped forward, wound up, and threw several punches, all of them connecting with Aaron's ripped and well-chiseled pecs. His eyes widened in shock as he dissolved away. The Woshua did not take it in stride.

"Wosh u SOUL."

A radial circle of water began to spray out of Woshua, forcing Frisk to dance around it. It proved less than a challenge as Frisk jumped all around them, and returned to his original place. He pulled his left hand back again and let loose a flurry of punches that sent the Woshua flying backwards. It crumbled to dust before it even hit the ground. Frisk stood up straight and clenched his fist.

You Won! You earned 104 XP and 50 gold!

He looked around for any other Monsters and, finding none, turned around and walked left, until he crossed over a small wooden bridge that led to a small patch of reeds, where he knew he'd find the best weapon for his current station. This was all in spite of the fact that they were ballet shoes, and looked beyond prissy. "Fight like a girl," indeed.

Frisk picked them up and put them on anyway, and took off the glove to place in his inventory. He frowned as he checked over the items he had on hand. _Running out of space,_ he noted to himself. This was problematic, as he could take whatever he needed from Snowdin Shop, and he didn't want to throw away any weapons, and especially not any armor. It seemed as if the time to kick those habits was rapidly approaching, however. He stood up and rolled his neck to crack it a couple times and then began to walk back the way he came. Frisk barely got a few steps in before the world shrunk and he became confined to a battle sequence…

But nobody came.

The Underground returned to normal. Frisk looked around, hung his head, and chuckled to himself before he continued on, and he met no further resistance as he processed away. He continued on past the echo flowers that no longer spoke their whispered wishes, and into Onionsan's room. The giant onion-squid Monster didn't appear; Frisk couldn't say he was surprised, and he certainly didn't mind. The quiet gave him time to think and be alone with himself.

He walked the width of Onionsan's room and out the other end, and through the room where the piano was silent. He didn't enter that room; part of him had grown to hate it. _Stupid dog,_ he thought to himself. Frisk passed them by until he found the old statue, still sitting in a damp corner of the area, sad and forgotten. He passed it by, though, and approached the umbrella bin a few feet beyond, slowed down, and picked out the red umbrella, and he turned right back around to walk back to the statue, and he placed the umbrella in its stone hand.

(Inside the statue, a music box begins to play...)

Frisk stood there, facing the hunched stone edifice as the rain fell across the umbrella, and the music box inside plinked away. He did nothing but stare at it for a very long time, but each note made his heart beat strongly again, and he knew that this run was his answer. He would make it so.

* * *

"It sounds like it came from over here…"

"Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you…Are you okay?"

"Here, get up…"

"...Chara, huh? That's a nice name."

"My name is-"

Frisk opened his eyes, and found himself at the bottom of the dump, on a bed of golden flowers. Even now, he was silently thankful for them. Frisk sniffed, grimaced, and pushed himself upright as he he gazed back up into the darkness. The fight with Undyne, if it could even be called a fight, had slowly been getting on his nerves in every subsequent run. At first, it had been rightly terrifying. After a few more adventures through the Underground, it became predictable. Now, it was a hindrance.

He pushed himself up and dusted himself off before he jumped into the thigh-high water without any hesitation and waded away, deeper into the dump. He passed piles of old junk, by old sofas and moldy blankets. Ratty old clothes and DVDs, broken window panes...anything the human mind could conceive, it was probably hidden amongst the piles of trash. Frisk eventually passed by a cooler with some Astronaut Food inside it, which he took. He walked down the long, dark hall toward the exit where the few people who lived in Waterfall actually built their homes...until he heard something excite the waters behind him. He looked back just in time to see the old dummy he'd fought before to liven up with a brand new pair of angry eyes before it dove into the water and reappeared in front of him, floating a few feet off the ground.

"I am a ghost that lives inside a DUMMY," it began. "My cousin used to live inside a DUMMY, too. Until… **you came along!** Not only did **your** actions cause them to leave their home...but now all of their neighbors are gone, too!" It huffed. "Despicable. Despicable! **Despicable!** You're the worst person I've ever met!" The dummy began to shake, and looked as if it was going to come apart by its own reckless actions, and then howled, "Guoooooohhhh! My mannequin levels are going **off the charts!"**

Then, there was a bright flash of light, and Frisk squeezed his eyes shut, but didn't turn away. Or move anything other than his eyelids, for that matter. When he opened them again, he noticed the dummy looked different. The shade of the cloth looked a bit more yellow, and the wear and tear they normally had was mostly healed. The dummy also looked perplexed for a moment before they murmured, "This...This feeling…?" Then, slowly, realization dawned on them and they exclaimed, "Eureka. Eureka! **Eureka!"** They looked back down at Frisk and explained, "Human. That moment of unbridled emotion. It allowed me to finally fuse with my body! I'm fully corporeal now! My lifelong dream, realized! In return, I guess I won't stomp you. How's that sound?"

Frisk remained still for a moment. Then he initiated a FIGHT.

A wiry grin spread across his face again.

He lifted his left leg up, and kicked as hard as he could, and he felt his foot hit the dummy. He didn't meet as much resistance as one may expect from kicking a dummy with the flat of their foot, but either way, the dummy looked confused for a moment before it turned to dust.

You Won! You earned 0 XP and 0 gold.

This lack of reward was enough to make Frisk frown as he lowered his leg again, but he decided to let it go for now. After all, he was still killing everything in one hit. _"On the bright side,"_ he muttered, _"you died happy."_ He rolled his neck and walked on until he got to the next SAVE point, and had only taken a few steps away before he became locked in a FIGHT with Shyren. Saying she didn't last long would have been a severe understatement.

He left that area behind and when he saw the item box sitting up against the wall on the left, Frisk turned to come face-to-face with Gerson behind his shop window. Surprisingly, the old turtle didn't seem very concerned. "Wa ha ha...so you came here. What a treat!" Frisk only told him to show what he had in stock. It was the same as always, Crab Apples, Sea Tea, and the Cloudy Glasses and accompanying notebook. Frisk forked over fifty gold for two Crab Apples and went on his way; he'd come back for the notebook and glasses later. As he turned to leave, he could hear Gerson mutter, "Good riddance," without even trying to hide his disdain. Frisk didn't care. The old warrior might have known a lot, but Frisk knew more practical things, thanks to a hundred lifetimes come and gone, wasted down here in the dark.

* * *

Tiny lights danced in the edges of Frisk's vision as he slogged through the waters that led to the bridge to Hotland. The only true difference here was that when he got close to the echo flowers scattered across the hall, they made no sound. He'd always assumed the original people who were speaking had done so hundreds of years ago, and no one had bothered to come by this section of the region in years, but now that theory was swiftly losing ground. Frisk would have pondered it longer if he didn't have things to kill.

He turned the corner and was met with the cold, howling wind of the gorge he had to cross to get to Hotland, and unlike most other times he came this way, he didn't hesitate to set foot on the bridge. Frisk managed to walk in silence for a few moment until he almost reached the end, and a voice called out to him, "Yo!"

Frisk halted, then slowly turned back to face MK, who was running up to him. "Yo. Undyne told me to stay away from you. She said you...you hurt a lot of people." He waited, as if expecting an answer. When MK got none, he continued, "But, yo, that's not true, right!?" Frisk didn't say anything. "...yo...why won't you answer me?" He looked up and began searching MK's eyes. He squinted and felt a wiry grin cross his face. "A...a...and what's with that weird expression?" MK took a step back and looked away and whispered, "Oh...oh man...Man, my h-heart's pounding right out of my chest...what would Undyne do?"

No sound permeated the cave as the two of them stood there, facing each other in a kind of standoff of wills. However, MK eventually (tried) to look Frisk in the eye and stated, "Yo...Y-You'd b-better st-stop r-right where you are…'Cause if you w-wanna hurt anyone else...you're…" He caught himself as he started shaking, breathed in and continued as evenly as he could, "You're gonna have to go through me, first."

That wiry grin gained more presence on Frisk's face. _"Is that so…?"_

"A...and...and…"

The FIGHT started. Frisk stretched his leg. _"Looks like free EXP."_

He stepped forward and kicked as hard as he could. He felt the wind rush over his leg. He felt it connect. He could hear the damage being done as his attack cut into Monster flesh. There was a flash of white light to accompany it, and he turned back when the light faded…

To see that Undyne now sported a huge, gaping cut diagonally through her body while MK remained unharmed. Frisk's eyes widened, but he showed no more signs of shock. _"Well. This is inconvenient,"_ he muttered to himself.

"Undyne...You're...You're hurt…"

"Hurt? It's nothing," Undyne scoffed. "Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?"

"Undyne...I…"

"I'll take care of this!" she asserted. "Get out of here!" MK kept staring at Undyne for another couple moment before he turned around, regret in his eyes, and ran away. When he was gone and safely out of earshot, Undyne's body suddenly sunk, as she had forcing herself to stay upright that entire time. "...heh…'It's nothing'..." she muttered, "No...s-somehow...with just one hit...I'm already…already..."

Frisk could see Undyne's lower body beginning to dissolve, slowly losing cohesion. He smiled. Maybe this wasn't such a bad turn of events after all. "D...damn it…" Undyne choked as the creeping death slowly wound around her legs and kept rising up to her torso. "Papyrus...Alphys...ASGORE…" she said wearily. "Just like that, I…" She hung her head. "I've failed you…"

Her body lost cohesion completely, and began to disintegrate. Frisk watched it and didn't move a muscle, but was content to see the last real line of defense the Monsters had crumble. Only after a couple more seconds was when he realized it was taking a lot longer than it should have. That clue was all he needed to clench his fists and grit his teeth.

There was a real FIGHT coming.

Almost all at once, Undyne's body regained most of its physical form and as the seconds ticked on, the tiredness in her face disappeared. "No...My body...it feels like it's splitting apart. Like any instant... I'll scatter into a million pieces. But…" She breathed out slowly, measuredly. "Deep, deep in my soul. There's a burning feeling I can't describe. A burning feeling that **won't** let me die." Frisk shifted on his feet. He felt tensed. Ready. "This isn't just about monsters anymore, is it? If you get past me, you'll...you'll destroy them all, won't you?" she asked. It was a hypothetical question, of course, but still, Undyne continued, "Monsters... Humans... Everyone...Everyone's hopes. Everyone's dreams. Vanquished in an instant." And just like that, she was grinning. "But I **won't** let you do that. Right now, everyone in the world...I can feel their hearts beating as one. And we all have **one** goal. To defeat **you."** She was staring at him now. A thousand daggers in her good eye, flying at him, trying to pin him down so she could deal the deathblow. She dropped the eloquence for a guttural shout that, would have shook Asgore's castle if it was any closer."Human. No, _**whatever**_ you are. For the sake of the whole world…I, **Undyne,** will strike you down!"

Her body began to warp and twist in a way that dust wasn't meant to do. She wasn't dying; like the mighty phoenix, she was being born again in the crucible of battle. Frisk shielded his eyes as light shone from where Undyne stood, and when it died down and he could look again, she had reformed into armor as black as her old set, but made more intricate by the engravings of the SOUL on her virgin white gauntlets, and her pauldrons and boots had been given additional details. On her breastplate was the engraving of a magnificent SOUL, and above all, she had lost her eyepatch. There was something constantly streaming out of it at a frequent pulse. She was still grinning at him. **"You're gonna have to try a little harder than that."**

Despite how grim the circumstances were, Frisk found himself smiling along with her.

Determination.

Frisk stepped up to attack first, and he struck her across the chest again. It did something, but it was obvious she wasn't going to die in one hit; technically, it was obvious the moment she reformed into an undying revenant, and Undyne wouldn't even entertain him with talking. What happened next were arrows closing in from all sides, and Frisk only had a small barrier of his own to defend himself with. He blocked them all easily. He never knew where that shield came from, and he couldn't really be bothered to question it right now. Frisk managed to get through the onslaught and returned the favor by kicking her square in the chest again. His shield returned, as did the arrows, but they came through slowly, and for a moment, Frisk felt his heart beat faster and his mind began to panic.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stop. _No. This will be easy._ He turned on his heels, left, then right, then left again, then he faced backward, then right, right, left…

The myriad of spears coming for him confused his brain long enough for him to lose track of which way he was supposed to face next, and by turning left, he caught a spear in the back. He felt his HP drop like lead. Frisk gritted his teeth and turned back to Undyne, and she swung the spear in her right hand; Frisk felt his SOUL be released. He didn't know what exactly was coming next, but he pushed forward and attacked Undyne anyway. It wasn't like he could go back now.

In response, Undyne scowled at him, and spears manifested all around him. Frisk had barely any time to think of which way to dodge before one came flying at him. He instinctively moved to the right, away from the direction it was coming from. He was too slow to keep moving, and another spear punched right through his body; he didn't die to it, but there was a nasty puncture wound on the lower right of his abdomen, and he fought through the pain to keep moving. He dodged two more spears, then turned around preemptively and was met with another spear through his chest again. He coughed up blood, staggered back, and was too slow to get out of the way of another spear that punctured his sternum. The next thing he was was black, and Asgore's voice calling: "It cannot end now! Chara! Stay determined…"

When Frisk opened his eyes again, he was back at his SAVE point at the start of the bridge. He could feel soreness in his chest, stomach, and neck, phantom pains from his first failure in this run. He huffed and stepped forward.

This might take awhile.

* * *

 **3**

"Yo!"

Frisk stopped and turned around without any hesitation. "Yo, dude..." MK continued, "I...I heard some things, and…"

Frisk squinted and pointed behind the kid. It distracted him without fail. "What? Look over here? What for?

The FIGHT had already started, and Frisk kicked as hard as he could. His vision went white, and s second later, Undyne was standing where MK had been, fatally wounded. MK was worried, just like the second time Frisk tried. Undyne told him it was nothing and demanded for him to run. "You…" she muttered as she hung her head. There was a pause for a moment before she lifted it back up and grinned at him like a psychopath. "You're gonna have to try a little harder than **that!"**

In a split second, Undyne had reformed and become undying again, and the two of them were locked in combat. Frisk attacked first, then fell back to defend against Undyne's spears. They continued for one more turn before things went right back to getting intense, and Frisk did his best to memorize the pattern of slow arrows. Undyne swung and Frisk felt the bonds he had on his SOUL from before disappear. He got one more solid hit in before more of the spears manifested all around him and he began to jump and leap around to get out of their way as each one streamed toward him in rapid succession; it was not easy to do on a bridge, but he didn't fall off at least. He slowed down for a moment, and paid for it dearly by getting punctured by one of the spears before Undyne's turn ended.

Frisk clenched his teeth and wiped some blood that had trickled out of his nose away as he turned back. _There's no way she can take more punishment than me,_ he thought. _Got to keep going. I have time on my side._

Undyne's grin twitched a bit, and Frisk was suddenly aware the ground below him was lighting up blue, and he saw spear tips materializing in three separate places across the bridge, all next to each other. His eyes widened and he jumped to the right as one of the spears shot up from the ground. The next one, which had been to Frisk's far left, came up next, and was not even close to hitting him, since he had gone to the far right. Frisk looked down to see the spear below him was ready to burst forth, and he jumped back to the left

They were coming in too fast, too erratically for him to…

Frisk's train of thought was interrupted when he failed to defend against one stray arrow fast enough. It punched a hole through his chest, and Frisk was dead before he hit the ground.

Of course, by the time he snapped his eyes open, the shock felt more like he had dreamt of falling and woke up before he hit the ground than it did of being mauled. He was back at the SAVE point. Frisk turned to face the burning star, shook his head and huffed, and marched forward again.

* * *

 **11**

Frisk had Undyne's first five attack patterns memorized by now. It didn't take much to really apply himself and learn them, at least not anymore. Six and beyond was where he still got tripped up.

Arrows closed in from all sides, rapidly. Frisk spun around to the left, blocked the entire line of them, spun to the right, blocked several of those, faced forward, then right again, then back. The magical constructs refused to slow down and seemed to grow all the more determined to kill him before he had the chance to kill Undyne. Then, from his periphery, he an arrow coming in from the left and spun around to face it. He realized far too late that it was yellow and facing the wrong direction, and he saw it disappear from his sight and then felt something punch its way through his chest.

Dead again.

* * *

 **19**

There comes a time when facing an opponent, whether in real life or a game (real-life cases few and far between) that repeated attempts slowly degrade one's skill.

Frisk understood this feeling as his neck was impaled by an arrow that he had been too slow on the uptake to block.

* * *

 **27**

Several more tries, and Frisk had gone back to making some forward progress. He eventually got tripped up the longer he fought, though, but he was getting better. Either way, he had to concentrate. There was no future right now. There was only this fight, and Frisk was going to see it through. He had to. He had to see where this would lead.

Undyne conjured spears in the air, and Frisk was moving before he even knew which attack it was. He wove in between the weapons as they circled and closed in, and he made it through unscathed. He retaliated with another swift kick to the chest. Undyne had proven far more resilient than he had anticipated, even between deaths.

The next volley of arrows was easy to deal with: just one that went straight followed by a reverse one. Frisk had no trouble blocking them, and attacked. Undyne's body shuddered, and she clenched her fist and summoned the rising spears. He danced to the left, the right, and all across the bridge. He was _so_ close. He could feel it.

 _One more…?_ Frisk lunged forward and lashed out with his left leg, and landed a decisive blow on Undyne. Her body shuddered again, but to his disappointment, she didn't fall. Instead, her missing eye flashed and a ring of spears appeared around Frisk. He immediately dashed forward, even as more spears materialized around him and began to weave in between them. He juked left, right, fell back, and then got hit. Frisk recovered and kept dodging, and eventually got into a pattern of running in a circle. He continued doing that for what felt like hours, but each passing second only made him all the more determined not to die yet; when Undyne's attacks carried on, it meant he was getting close.

And just like that, the spears disappeared. Frisk's heartrate reached untold new levels as he stopped almost on a dime, dug his heel into the ground, and used the potential energy to wind up and leap backward like a spring. He sailed through the air, straight towards Undyne, lifted his leg and with a defiant hiss, he swung. His blow struck true, and he saw Undyne's expression shift from one of sneering contempt to sullenness. It was Frisk's turn to grin.

 _Yes. One more._

She stood there for a few moments, but eventually she muttered, "Damn it…" Undyne didn't collapse. She didn't stumble backward and fall off the bridge. She was standing up, but now completely still. "So even **that** power...it wasn't enough…?" She swallowed hard. Small cuts that opened up to leak dust began to appear on her armor, but Undyne didn't even flinch. Instead, she smiled. And she chuckled. "Heh…Heheheh…"

After another minute, she lifted her head to stare directly into Frisk's eyes. "If you...if you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong. Cause I've...I've got my friends behind me. Alphys told me she would watch me fight you…" The cuts on her body stopped leaking dust. Eventually, it looked like she was sweating intensely. "And if anything went wrong, she would...evacuate everyone. By now, she's called Asgore and told him to absorb the six human SOULs." The effect became more pronounced as time went on, until apparently even the solid metal of Undyne's armor was melting as if under extreme heat. Frisk recognized it easily, of course.

"And with that power…" Undyne's body began to slough away and pool on the ground in front of Frisk, and then, with the last of her determination, she yelled something. A cry that, even in death, was triumphant.

" **This world will live on...!"**

Her body finally gave up trying to hold itself together, and most of Undyne's twisted remains dissolved into dust; what remained were puddles that used to be her spear, a gauntlet, and the two shoulderpads.

Frisk remained in place, staring at where his greatest challenge yet had stood. In a way, he was rather sad to see it go...but then he remembered all the times he got so close to beating her only to screw up at the last minute and have all his progress reset. That certainly changed his mood in a hurry.

He turned on his heel and marched over to the great ridge that connected Waterfall to Hotland, and when he got to the mouth of the cave that led him in, he stared up at its peak. Behind it, he could see a dull orange glow permeating the area behind it. He was halfway done, and with this knowledge in hand, he lowered his head, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and kept walking. As he passed through the entrance to Hotland, with the great neon sign dead and lifeless, he couldn't help but think. If Asgore had all six human SOULs, how powerful would he be? Would he be able to block his attacks easily? Maybe even effortlessly? Could Asgore kill him with so much as a look? All these and more swirled around inside his head. However, the more he thought about it, he eventually realized that, yes, a Monster with six human SOULs would be ridiculously powerful, but he still had determination; he could be killed a thousand times and keep coming back if he wanted to. That fight would be like a superhero fighting a god. And it was then Frisk realized that, if this was true, maybe he wasn't the god the Underground deserved.

But the he was the god they had anyway.

* * *

A/N: :)


	24. Hell's Eyes: Diabolus ex Filius

Hell's Eyes: Diabolus ex Filius

Frisk found his way to Hotland, and was greeted with Sans' empty sentry station. He stared at it for a moment before he carried on across the bridge, to the water cooler that now served no purpose. He passed it by and found his SAVE point at the nexus between Alphys' lab, the entrance to MTT Resort, and the Riverperson's boat. He reached out his hand.

40 left.

Frisk retracted his arm again and looked up into the distance. He couldn't see the upper levels of Hotland from here; it was all covered in a darkness that, he instinctively knew, could not naturally exist here. But he ignored it for the moment, as he had other things to do. Frisk approached the north side of the nexus, but when he got close, a crackling blue force field suddenly appeared, and he staggered back a few steps. When he got a better look at it, he could tell it wouldn't go away. He looked up and forward, where he knew the elevator to the CORE was and sighed. _"Doing this the long way again?"_ he muttered to himself. He turned back and made his way to the lab. _"...Disappointing."_

The doors opened up, and Frisk found, to his surprise, that the lights were already on. He didn't bother to look around, though, especially when he saw the familiar box standing around a few paces ahead. Mettaton was waiting for him, evidently, and when Frisk approached, he immediately launched into a speech. "OH, THERE YOU ARE," he said. "YOU UGLY LITTLE CREATURE. YOU'VE MADE QUITE A NAME FOR YOURSELF. SUCH INFAMY…! I'M IMPRESSED." He definitely _wasn't_ impressed; he was just being the condescending clown he usually was. Frisk glared at him and tried to get a good look around before Mettaton interrupted, "OH, YES. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ALPHYS, SHE'S NOT HERE. WHILE YOU WERE BUSY DOING YOUR, AHEM, _THING..._ SHE WAS RUNNING AROUND, EVACUATING PEOPLE TO SAFETY. NOW THEY'RE ALL IN A PLACE WHERE YOU'LL NEVER GET TO THEM." Frisk squinted and spat quietly on the ground. Granted, they were just dragging out their own deaths at this point, but now Frisk was going to have to go looking for them after he mopped the floor with the ghost in the shell here. "DECIDING _NOT_ TO FIGHT YOU. MY, MY, SHE REALLY _IS_ THE ONLY SMART ONE, ISN'T SHE?"

Frisk glared back up at Mettaton and took a step forward. "OH? HOW _SASSY._ YOU'RE JUST _ITCHING_ TO GET YOUR HANDS ON ME, AREN'T YOU?" Mettaton teased. "WELL, T-O-O B-A-D! THIS WORLD NEEDS MORE _STARS_ THAN IT NEEDS _CORPSES!_ TOODLES!" Before Frisk could properly react, Mettaton had rolled away as fast as that singular wheel that propelled him could. Frisk remained there, in a half-stunned silence for a few minutes before he shook his head and kept walking. Before he left the lab behind completely, however, he looked at the hole in the wall that Mettaton usually left behind in different runs. When he got close to inspect it, the voice in his head commented:

(It's just here to complete the look.)

Frisk rolled his eyes. _"Oh, for God's sake."_ He walked to the lab door, opened it up, and kept walking through the beginning stages of Hotland. He traipsed across the starting conveyor belts, had one battle with a Vulkin that was basically over before it began, and he arrived at the next SAVE point.

39 left.

Frisk felt his progress save and he breathed out. He knew where he had to go next, and he approached a steam vent, and was sent flying across the deep chasm that led straight down to a pool of magma. He made his way to another vent that sent him north, then he went to the right again, and walked all the way down until he came to an area with a roundabout conveyor belt and a vent that switched the direction it was blowing every couple seconds. He timed his approached so that the vent sent him to the left, and he picked up a burnt frying pan, and equipped it. After his fight with Undyne, he supposed, it might not hurt to have an item that granted extra healing power. The normal Monsters were a piece of cake, but everyone else…

Well, better safe than sorry.

* * *

It took an incredible amount of grinding, but Frisk finally had forty Monsters dead and several layers of dust on his shoes. He reached out and touched the SAVE point he'd been hovering around, near the Burnt Frying Pan, and felt the dull ache in his head settle.

⭐Determination⭐

He sighed, _"Finally,"_ and passed through the steam vent area again, and left the corridor that still held the dust of the two Royal Guards that tried to avenge Undyne. There was very little, if any, breeze here, which meant the dust wouldn't scatter. Frisk passed it all by and approached the elevator, stepped inside, and pressed the button for floor R3. He knew where he had to go. The doors shut and he felt the elevator jerk forward, then up, then, left, right back, and down until it stopped. The doors opened and Frisk stepped out onto a solid steel catwalk. He looked down to see the same all-consuming darkness that he saw when he looked up from the ground floor.

Frisk strode by the Spider Bake Sale and toward the massive assortment of vent platforms. He crossed them all without really realizing or remembering it; he'd ingrained the pattern needed to reach the other end in the fastest amount of time a long time ago. He stopped at the SAVE point situated before Muffet's little corner of Hotland and he ducked into the entryway.

It was just as dark as he remembered. It always had been, and there was light dusting of cobwebs over almost every inch of the ground he walked; on either side was a sheer drop into the abyss. It wasn't long before he heard her signature giggle. "Ahhuhuhuhu…Did you hear what she said?" Frisk kept walking as the voice taunted him. "They said a human wearing a striped shirt will come through. I heard that they _hate_ spiders." He eventually reached a place where the ground was thick with webs. He took one step onto it and felt he bottoms of his shoes sticking to the webs, slowing his progress. He didn't exactly want to trip and snap his neck; that would be a humiliating way to die. "I heard that they hate _everybody,"_ the voice muttered as he kept walking. "I heard…"

Frisk eventually reached the center of Muffet's "hive;" he could only assume it was the center after so many trips through, and by now, he was nearly fully entangled in webs. Only his arms remained free. And soon, Muffet revealed herself.

"...That they have some _awful_ taste."

Frisk turned to face her as she monologued. "What a shame! A human comes through and they aren't even fit to be eaten~ Oh, well! Rotten ingredients can always be _discarded~"_ Muffet tittered lightly as the world faded away until Muffet was only a few feet in front of him with no other obstacles to get in the way. Frisk pulled hard on some of the webs and they came loose.

He grinned and lifted his leg. The next minute, he let loose a kick that hit Muffet square in the chest. Her eyes widened in shock, and she crumbled to dust without another word, and it all fell away, uncaught by the the cobwebs under her. Frisk brought his leg down and rolled his neck, still smiling. It was then, he noticed, a small spider approach from the right, and slowed down until it stood where Muffet had been. He furrowed his brow, suddenly curious. Would this tiny, pathetic arachnid cry? Would it try to lash out at him in vengeance? He didn't know, but he watched it all the same. The spider stopped for a second and then scuttled away in a hurry. Frisk watched it go. _"Yes,"_ he rasped, _"you're smart to run away."_ He was about to shake loose all the other cobwebs when he realized the spider hadn't run away in fear, for it had returned.

It carried on its back a purple flower.

Frisk watched the spider approach the place where Muffet fell and gently, reverently, place the flower where she had been. The cobwebs didn't catch her dust, but it supported the flower easily. The spider turned, inched away, and then stopped to look back at where Muffet had been. Frisk didn't say a word; he only watched as it scurried away again.

You Won! You earned 300 XP and 50 gold.

Frisk didn't move again for a couple minutes; he couldn't shake the feeling that flower was supposed to mean something to him; that it held some sort of purpose. Not that purple flower, specifically, but something like it. It was strange...it was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't recall…

Before he realized where he was, Frisk found himself on the great stage Mettaton used for his big song and dance. The one where he got dropped into that tile puzzle. Frisk glanced up into the rafters and then at the backdrop. Those days when the Underground felt new and mysterious felt so far away now. _"Well...nothing to do but move forward,"_ he sighed as he walked out of the room.

He found himself in the courtyard area in front of MTT Resort, and with nothing else demanding his attention, he immediately walked up to the front entrance. Before he went inside, however, he took a quick detour to his right, to Bratty and Catty's shop. But when he approached the front counter, a voice in his head said:

But, like, nobody came and stuff.

Frisk squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. _"Oh God, please no."_ He waited a moment to make sure his inner voice wasn't adopting any more stupid mannerisms before he checked the counter and saw a piece of paper folded up on it. He grabbed it, unfolded it, and read:

 _Hey, this is Bratty!_

 _Hey, this is Catty!_

 _If you're reading this…_

 _Then, like, bad news, you mega-evil weirdo!_

 _Alphys just came here and she's taking us…_

 _Someplace super duper safe!_

 _But, first, we gotta use up these gel pens._

 _Yeah! Chill, Alphys. We don't wanna waste pens!_

Frisk found himself subconsciously rolling his eyes.

 _And don't even THINK about stealing our stuff._

 _Yeah, creep! Leave our junk alone!_

There was an aside written in the margins:

 _Catty, it's not junk. It's really valuable._

 _Yeah! Our garbage is really valuable!_

This level of eye-rolling shouldn't be reachable by mere mortals.

 _Anyway. In closing: you're a total loser!_

 _Yeah! Loser! Nya ha ha!_

 _Signed, Bratty_

 _Signed, Catty_

He crumpled the note up and tossed it behind the counter, where only mold and decay await, and his face twisted to a bitter smirk and he hissed, _"Of course, you realize this means I'm just going to enjoy hunting you down."_ Frisk started rummaging through whatever was being kept behind the counter. He found the Empty Gun and the Cowboy Hat, which he took (after tossing the Manly Bandana and a Cinnamon Bunny away), and when he rooted around a bit more, he found some junk food and exactly five gold coins in the till. He tossed the Junk Food, but grimaced and decided to leave the gold alone, though; he felt pretty spiteful, but he wasn't about to be _that_ petty.

With all that done and out of the way, he left Bratty and Catty's shop and entered MTT Resort. It looked exactly the same as before, just missing every single Monster. Yes, even the fountain was still running. Frisk didn't look around for much longer before he approached the SAVE point.

⭐Determination⭐

Frisk retracted his hand and wandered around the lobby, trying to find anything that might be useful. Eventually, he decided to inspect one of the plants and when he did, the voice inside him said:

(The potted plant is judging you for your sins.)

Frisk frowned and quickly backed away. It was the most ridiculous thing he'd heard yet, but the voice in his head stated it with such confidence as if it were a known and proven fact. Could potted plants actually do that down here? And if they could, how? Frisk scratched his chin as he walked away. Maybe the latent magic of the Underground had given them a baseline sentience? Frisk didn't know. But he _did_ know that he might have to come back here and chuck every last one of the accursed things into a pit of magma. Just in case.

He then looked over at the MTT Grill and preemptively decided to throw out an extra Cinnamon Bunny before he approached. Bugerpants seemed to at least be aware he wasn't normal. If the Underground had anything "normal" to begin with, and Frisk was pretty sure he whispered _"(Why do I always get the freaks?)"_ under his breath, probably thinking Frisk wouldn't hear.

Frisk huffed and blew some loose hair out of his face. _"You didn't evacuate?"_ he whispered.

"Evacuation?" Burgerpants replied. "You're yanking my chain, little weirdo. So **what** if everybody else left work? So **what** if nobody's buying anything?" Burgerpants pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Par for the course, little weirdo. Par for the course."

Frisk paused a moment, then smirked. _"So either you're willfully ignorant that everyone else is dead...or you're really just dumber than you look."_

This got Burgerpants to go quiet for a moment before he muttered, "Huh? Everyone else is _dead?"_ He went quiet for a moment, staring pensively down at the counter, before he looked up and asked, "Does that mean I don't have to work today?" He paused, scoffed, and took another long drag of his cigarette. "God. That it were true, little weirdo. That it were true."

Frisk pursed his lips. He never truly realized how much he hated this guy before, with his whole apathetic attitude. _At least look a_ little _intimidated,_ he thought as he pulled out his new revolver and made the hammer click into place. _"You realize it's because of_ me... _right?"_ he said through grated teeth.

In response, Burgerpants only scoffed and kept his cigarette firmly between his teeth. "Sorry, little weirdo. Threats won't work on me," he said. "I can't go to hell. I'm all out of vacation days."

Frisk stared up at Burgerpants in wide-eyed disbelief, before he threw five-hundred gold on the counter and muttered, _"Just give a one of the damn steaks."_

Burgerpants reached back and placed one of Mettaton's steaks on the counter with a dismissive, "Here you go, little weirdo." Frisk snatched it away and left. He felt actual, cold-running hatred snake though his body, but as he walked out the back entrance toward the CORE, he realized it was because he might have been a little intrigued with out casually Burgerpants handled being threatened. Like hot damn, that line took some guts. And hot damn, why couldn't _he_ come up with a line that badass?

Frisk entered the CORE and was greeted with the two doorways to the left and right, and the elevator in the center. He checked the elevator arbitrarily, and found it to be in perfect working order, much to his surprise. _Hmm. Yes, I'll take this,_ he thought as the doors closed and he felt it rise up. When Frisk stepped out again, he was at the entrance to Mettaton's room, and Frisk quickly saved his progress and rounded the corner. As he expected, Mettaton was waiting for him, and once he stopped walking, the robot began to speak. "MY, MY. SO YOU'VE FINALLY ARRIVED. AFTER OUR FIRST MEETING, I REALIZED...SOMETHING GHASTLY. YOU'RE NOT JUST A THREAT TO MONSTERS...BUT HUMANITY AS WELL." He was barely rolling around; his voice didn't seem to hold any inflection in it at all. Needless to say, Frisk was a little surprised to hear such restraint from Mettaton. "OH MY. THAT'S AN ISSUE," he continued. "YOU SEE, I CAN'T BE A STAR WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE. AND BESIDES…" He trailed off, and huffed, "THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE...I WANT TO PROTECT."

Frisk scowled and took a step forward. "AH HA HA. EAGER, AS ALWAYS, EH? BUT DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL. THERE'S SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T ACCOUNTED FOR. AS ANY TRUE FAN WOULD KNOW, I WAS FIRST CREATED AS A HUMAN ERADICATION ROBOT. IT WAS ONLY AFTER BECOMING A STAR THAT I WAS GIVEN A MORE...PHOTOGENIC BODY. HOWEVER." Mettaton's voice took on a sudden air of serious defiance. "THOSE ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN FULLY REMOVED. COME ANY CLOSER, AND I'LL BE FORCED TO SHOW YOU…" Mettaton's arms popped out of the sides of his body, and he spread them out, his hands grasping the air and daring Frisk to come to him. "MY TRUE FORM!"

Frisk only stared at Mettaton for another couple seconds, considering his options. Of course, he knew the answer, and that was no matter how many times he died, he could still come back and learn whatever Mettaton's attack patterns were. He squinted and stepped forward.

"FINE THEN!" Mettaton shouted as he clenched his fist. "RRRRREADY? IIIIIIIT'S SHOWTIME!"

The stage lights turned on almost immediately, bathing the entire arena in bright white light. Frisk squeezed his eyes shut but made no other moves. After a couple minutes, Frisk could sense the light had died down, and he opened his eyes. What he saw in front of him was a modified form of Mettaton's EX body, complete with wings, an arm cannon, and the right half of his face now sporting dark metal and what he could only guess to be a targeting system in place of his eye. The speakers began blaring.

Mettaton NEO blocks the way!

Frisk had to take a moment to look at Mettaton's new form and process it. This path he had decided to walk down was full of surprises, though not all of them were fun, he had to admit. And now he had another big fight on his hands; irritating, but certainly not unexpected. Frisk pulled out his Empty Gun and brought it up to eye level. How he could fire bullets from the thing was beyond him, but he didn't question it. It was probably some sort of magic mumbo-jumbo he didn't understand anyway. He took aimand…

He pulled the trigger four times and every shot landed, puncturing Mettaton's chest without leaving a traceable wound. Mettaton lost his cocky expression almost immediately. "GH…" He shifted his weight and fell to his left, and supported himself on his hand, kneeling on the ground. He gritted his teeth and looked up at Frisk, standing over him triumphantly, but not once did his face betray happiness, disappointment, or anything. After a minute, Mettaton chuckled. "GUESS YOU DON'T WANNA JOIN MY FAN CLUB?"

Frisk's gaze hardened at that. He raised his left hand and leveled his gun at Mettaton's forehead. _"Before the day ends, you won't have a fan club at all,"_ he rasped.

He pulled the trigger and watched as Mettaton's body crumpled to the ground, his eyes completely white and face frozen in shock for a few seconds before his body dissolved into a fine grey powder. The stage lights around the arena stopped blaring and the music screeched to a halt. But in the back of his mind, Frisk felt like his job wasn't done and he couldn't say why. He brought his gaze up and swung his head around the stage. The seats were empty, the lights were off. There wasn't even anybody left at the control panel behind the glass casing.

He stopped suddenly, and brought his head around to look at one of the walls to the left and quickly realized what he was missing. Nestled in the corner where the wall and the ceiling met was a circular security camera; he was almost certain he saw the lens in it spin and refocus. He lifted his left hand again, took aim, and let the gun speak for him. The hidden camera was blasted clean out of the wall. He pocketed the gun and walked out the back entrance of the room, and toward the elevator that led straight up to New Home.

* * *

A/N: =)


End file.
